Whether you get on a boat to soak up the sun, to catch a few fish, or to enjoy some water skiing or wakeboarding, the last thing you expect is to get into a boat accident. However, boating accidents are more common than most realize, with over 3,000 people suffering serious injuries in boating accidents per year.
If you’ve been injured in a boating accident, or lost a loved one due to a negligent boat operator, you can pursue a personal injury claim. While going over the accident and your injuries with a lawyer may not be at the top of your to-do list, this is an important part of the recovery process. It also ensures that negligent boaters are held accountable, making them think twice before carelessly driving a boat in the future. Through a boat accident lawsuit, you may be able to recover significant compensation that will help you on your road to recovery.
At Console & Associates, P.C., we proudly represent accident victims and their families in all types of boat and personal watercraft lawsuits. Regardless of whether you were swimming, driving a boat, or a passenger on a boat, we can help. Console & Associates, P.C., has more than 25 years of experience successfully representing boat accident victims in settlement negotiations and at trial. Over this time, we’ve recovered more than $100 million on behalf of our injured clients and their families. Understandably, you may not be convinced that filing a boat accident lawsuit is for you. That is why we offer a free consultation, during which we will answer all your questions and provide our honest opinion. What we won’t do is pressure you to bring a case, because we are here to help you, not convince you. If you decide to bring a boat accident lawsuit with Console & Associates, P.C., you won’t pay for our legal representation unless we can recover compensation on your behalf. That’s part of the “No Fee Promise” we make to each one of our clients.
Call us today at (866) 778-5500 for a free, confidential evaluation of your case.
At Console & Associates, P.C., we recognize that this is an extremely challenging time for you and your family. Along those lines, we strive to make the process as easy on you as possible. From the moment you bring us onto your team, we will take care of all the heavy lifting so you can focus on your recovery and getting your life back on track.
To schedule your free consultation, just call (866) 778-5500 today or fill out our secure contact form.
To the uninitiated, driving a boat may seem as though it involves the same skill set as driving a car. However, that is not the case. Safely operating a boat requires a driver not only to understand how to control the vessel but also to keep a vigilant eye on their surroundings at all times. Even a momentary lapse in attention or judgment can have disastrous consequences. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Coast Guard, there are more than 5,200 boat accidents each year, resulting in more than 3,100 injuries and 750 deaths.
Some of the most common causes of boat accidents include:
Most boat accidents are entirely preventable. For example, the U.S. Coast Guard reports that a third of all fatal boat accidents involve a driver under the influence of alcohol. At Console & Associates, P.C., we have experience preparing, negotiating and litigating boat accident lawsuits on behalf of those impacted by these tragic accidents. We can help you hold the negligent operator accountable for their actions.
When most people think of boating accident injuries, drowning comes to mind. And while drowning is common, it is not the only serious and potentially fatal injury accident victims face. Other common boating accident injuries include:
The experienced boating accident attorneys at Console & Associates, P.C. know what your family is going through in the aftermath of a serious accident. With our help, you can continue on your road to recovery while pursuing the much-needed compensation to help you cover all your accident-related expenses.
All boaters owe a duty of care to others on the water. This includes passengers, people on other boats and swimmers. After a boat accident, anyone injured can pursue a claim against the negligent driver. However, there may be other parties whose negligence also contributed to the accident. For example, if an operator experienced mechanical problems with their boat, there may not have been anything they could have done to avoid the accident. In this case, the manufacturer of the boat (or the defective part) could be responsible for your injuries.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a boat accident, you understand how traumatizing these accidents can be. On top of the medical expenses and missed work, you may also face months or years of lingering pain or even a lifetime of physical limitations. While nothing can turn back the hands of time to before the accident, by bringing a boat accident claim, you may obtain compensation for your economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages refer to those out-of-pocket costs you were forced to pay as a result of the accident. For example, non-economic damages in a boat accident claim may include:
Non-economic damages are those that compensate you for the emotional and psychological effect that the accident had on your life. Common examples of non-economic damages include:
At Console & Associates, P.C., we firmly believe that it isn’t right for you to be left on the hook for damages related to another’s negligence. Thus, we painstakingly review all accident reports and medical records to identify the full extent of your damages. This enables us to ensure that any boat accident settlement you accept fairly compensates you for what you and your family have been through.
After a boat accident, you can bring a personal injury lawsuit against the boater responsible for your injuries. However, before a court will award you any damages, you must first prove that the at-fault boater was legally negligent. In this context, a “negligence” claim requires you to establish each of the following elements:
While it may seem that proving a boat accident lawsuit is straightforward, that is not always the case, especially once an insurance company gets involved. Insurance companies are notorious for offering accident victims insufficient boat accident settlement offers in hopes of avoiding what could be a costly trial. At Console & Associates, P.C., our experienced boat accident attorneys will provide you with an honest assessment of your case so you know what your claim is worth and how to best pursue the compensation you deserve.
If you’ve been in a boat accident, chances are that filing a legal claim against the responsible party is not at the top of your priorities. And, given everything on your plate, this is understandable. However, it is important not to let too much time pass before reaching out to a boat accident lawyer.
As time goes on, proving your boat accident lawsuit will get more difficult. For example, physical evidence may be lost or destroyed, and witnesses may be harder to locate or forget important details about the accident. In short, there is nothing to be gained by waiting to contact an attorney.
At Console & Associates, P.C., we are prepared to immediately get started on preparing your case. Our boat accident lawyers are standing by to answer your questions and help you determine the best course of action to hold those responsible for your injuries accountable.
If you’ve been hurt in a boat accident, the most important thing you can do after obtaining medical treatment is to contact an attorney. At some point shortly after an accident, a representative from an insurance company is going to call you. They will want to talk about the accident, your injuries, and the impact that the accident had on your life. It is important that you speak with a lawyer before agreeing to anything with the insurance company—and preferably before you speak to the insurance company at all.
At Console & Associates, P.C., we have more than 25 years of experience negotiating with some of the largest and most powerful insurance companies in the country. We’ve also handled many boat accident cases on behalf of accident victims and grieving families. We are not afraid to demand what is fair because we know we will back it up with strong supporting evidence and legal reasoning.
Hiring an attorney to represent you in your boat accident claim shouldn’t break the bank. In fact, most skilled boat accident law firms take cases on a contingency basis. This means that you will not pay the lawyer any fee up front and will only pay them if they secure a boat accident settlement or jury award in your favor. In some cases, lawyers will even advance the cost of litigation, meaning that it costs you nothing to bring the case and that you won’t pay a dime unless your claim is successful.
At Console & Associates, P.C., we understand that boat accidents can have a profound and long-term impact on your life. However, as difficult a time as this is, things will get better. Our respected boat accident lawyers have extensive experience over the past 25 years handling all types of boat and personal watercraft accidents. If you or a loved one was hurt in a boat accident, we are here for you every step of the way. We offer free consultations to all boat accident victims, during which we will answer all your questions and listen attentively to what you tell us is important to you. From there, with your input, we will develop a comprehensive plan that focuses on getting you what you need to get your life back on track.
From the moment you reach out to Console & Associates, P.C., you will understand why we are different. We will handle everything, from investigating the accident and filing an insurance claim to negotiating with the insurance company and taking your case to trial, if necessary. We have spent decades learning the intricacies of personal injury law, so you don’t have to. We also offer a No Fee Guarantee, so you won’t pay anything for our legal representation unless we can recover compensation on your behalf.
To schedule your free consultation, just call (866) 778-5500 today or fill out our secure contact form.
Every type of personal injury claim must be filed within a certain amount of time, as outlined in the statute of limitations. How long you have to move forward with a claim varies from state to state, but many states allow injured victims only two years to file a lawsuit, and some states restrict your right to sue to just one year.
While a couple of years may seem like a long time, it passes quickly, and there is nothing to be gained by waiting to bring your case. To protect your right to recover financial compensation, it is important you reach out to a boat accident lawyer at Console & Associates, P.C. as soon as possible.
It is very likely that the insurance company will extend an offer to settle your boat accident claim. However, it is important that you approach settlement negotiations with the understanding that the insurance company’s sole objective is to limit the amount of money it needs to pay to settle your claim. Thus, the first boat accident settlement offer conveyed by an insurance company is often far less than the amount of money you need to fully compensate you for all your losses. Rather than taking the insurance company’s word of what your claim is worth, reach out to a dedicated boat accident lawyer at Console & Associates, P.C. for an objective assessment of your case’s value.
The tragic reality is that many boat accidents end in fatal injuries. If you’ve lost a loved one in a boat accident, you may be able to bring a wrongful death claim on their behalf. A wrongful death claim is similar to a personal injury case in most respects, except that these claims are brought by an accident victim’s surviving family members instead of by the accident victim themselves.
