Arizona Boating Lawyer

When a boating accident occurs on a lake or river, local and state laws typically cover it. However, a boating accident on the oceans falls under maritime law because the coastal waters belong to the U.S. rather than to individual states. This makes boating accidents a highly complex field of law. 

You must notify the Coast Guard when:

• A life is lost
• Total vessel loss
• Damage from the boating accident is at least $2,000
• A person is missing and believed to be injured or killed. 

Suppose you have been injured in a boating accident caused by the negligence of another. In that case, you may file a claim against that person’s insurance. This claim can seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering damages, and the damages to your boat. 

Due to the complexities surrounding boating accidents in Arizona, injured accident victims and their families need someone on their side who can fight for their rights and ensure justice? Call Arizona boating accident lawyer Lee Ciccarelli today! 

Arizona Boating Accident Overview

According to the New York Times, recreational boating boomed during the pandemic, with new boat sales reaching a 13-year-high in 2020. Unfortunately, as interest in boating has resurrected, so have boating accidents. In 2020, there were 767 boating fatalities across the United States—a 25 percent increase from 2019. 

Nonfatal injuries for boating victims also increased by 25 percent during the same period. One of the primary causes of boating accidents is untrained boating operators—in 77 percent of the fatal boating accidents, the boat operator had received no training. 

Boating accidents can cover various vessels, from sailboats to speed boats, personal watercraft, and even hovercrafts. Hitting another boat or hitting a reef or dock are common causes of boating accidents. 

Because many people enjoying recreational boating in Arizona are also enjoying a cold beer on a hot day, alcohol use contributes to many boating accidents. Most people are unaware that operating a water vessel with a BAC of 0.08 percent or higher is illegal—just as with a motor vehicle.

Why Choose the Arizona Boating Accident Lawyers from Ciccarelli Law Offices?

Injuries resulting from a boating accident can be severe. You should not have to face this situation on your own. Speak to an Arizona boating accident attorney from Ciccarelli Law Offices today. 

Choosing a personal injury attorney can feel like an overwhelming task. Suppose you have never needed an attorney before your boating accident. In that case, you may be unsure of how to choose an attorney who will genuinely have your best interests at heart. 

We hope you will give Ciccarelli Law Offices a chance to assist you in obtaining a fair settlement following your boating accident. We have a solid reputation, experience, and knowledge of the laws concerning Arizona boating accidents. We will fight for your rights and your future, offering a free initial consultation where we can assess your boating accident claim. 

We promise to work vigorously to ensure you receive the medical treatments you need and reimbursements for your costs associated with the boating accident. While understanding that you have many choices when hiring an Arizona boating accident lawyer, we hope you will give Ciccarelli Law Offices a call. We have hundreds of five-star reviews from satisfied clients, and attorney Lee Ciccarelli has been recognized as:

• Super Lawyer 
• Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers Association
• Having the highest rating (10.0) by AVVO 
• One of the Top 100 Litigation Attorneys by the American Society of Legal Advocates.

If you want a lawyer who truly cares about your future, contact Ciccarelli Law Offices today.  

What Compensation is Available Following an Arizona Boating Accident?

After a boating accident, you can seek to recover medical expenses, lost wages resulting from the accident, pain and suffering damages, and damages to your boat or watercraft. Medical expenses and lost wages fall under “special damages.” This means they are easy to quantify because a specific monetary number is attached to them. 

Medical expenses can include hospital expenses, surgical costs, physician expenses, ER costs, prescription medication costs, and the cost of rehabilitative therapies. 

Suppose you were unable to work for a while following your boating accident. In that case, you may be entitled to receive lost wages. If your injuries are so severe that you may be unable to work for months, years, or ever, you may receive lost future wages. 

Lost future wages are calculated based on your job at the time of the accident and your education. It is also based on the likelihood of advancing your chosen career if you had not been injured. General damages are less easy to quantify because they are very subjective. Pain and suffering fall under general damages. Pain and suffering include both physical pain and emotional pain and trauma. Your level of physical pain may prevent you from handling day-to-day tasks or from enjoying your life as you did before the accident. 

Boating Accidents in Arizona Fall Under Comparative Negligence

Suppose you suffered an injury in an Arizona boating accident caused by another’s negligence. In Arizona, you have two years from the accident to bring claims for damages. Claims filed after two years are unlikely to find success. You should review your case with an attorney even if you believe you missed the deadline. 

The state of Arizona follows the rules of pure comparative negligence. This means that if another boat crashes into your vessel through no fault of your own, then the driver of that boat will likely be 100 percent at fault. If, however, you were at least partially at fault for the accident, your compensation will be reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to you. This means if you are awarded $100,000, and you were 10 percent liable for the accident, you would receive only $90,000. 

What Are the Most Common Injuries Associated with Arizona Boating Accidents?

While any injury is possible in a boating accident, there are some injuries that are more common than others when a boating accident occurs, such as:

• The U.S. Coast Guard found that traumatic brain injuries are the second leading cause of death in boating accidents. A traumatic brain injury can occur when a person’s head strikes a hard surface with significant force, or when a person is deprived of oxygen after being underwater too long. 
• Lacerations from sharp propellers can occur when a person is thrown from the boat during a collision. Lacerations can also occur on the boat when an impact causes a person to slam into a hard and/or sharp object on the boat.
• In some boating accidents, an explosion or fire can occur in the engine room, causing those on the boat to sustain serious burns. 
• Whiplash, while usually thought of as strictly a car accident injury, can happen just as easily during a boat accident when the boat makes an abrupt stop or turn.
• Spinal cord injuries can occur when two boats collide and those on the boats are thrown into a hard object or thrown into the water where they hit a hard, fixed object. 
• Limb amputations can result from propeller accidents—propellers operate at high speeds and are extremely sharp. 
• Drowning is one of the primary causes of boating accident fatalities. Even when a person knows how to swim, they can drown as a result of being unconscious from the accident, from disorientation and exhaustion, or as a result of other injuries sustained in the accident. 

What Are the Most Common Causes of Boating Accidents?

Boating accidents usually fall under slip and falls on the boat, propeller accidents, being run over by a larger vessel, being thrown overboard, and collisions with other boats. The causes of boating accidents are virtually always events that were either partially or entirely within the control of the boat’s operator. The top factors associated with boating accidents include:

• • Operator inattention—just like driver distraction, when boating operators are not paying attention to their job (operating the boat), accidents can occur. Operator inattention and distraction are likely the top cause of boating accidents, although it’s hard to compile hard data on this since few boating operators will admit their distraction caused the accident. 
  • Improper lookout is another contributing factor in boating accidents. There should always be another person helping the boat operator watch out for threats or hazards. 
  • Operator inexperience causes many boating accidents since few of those who operate boats understand navigation rules, the basics of boating, or how to handle an emergency.

• Excessive speed

• Impairment

• • Improper boat maintenance that leads to machinery failure

• Violations of navigational rules

• Inclement weather
• Hazardous waters

Call Our Arizona Boating Accident Lawyers Today

If you or someone you love suffered an injury in a boating accident in Phoenix, Chandler, Tempe, or anywhere in the state of Arizona, it is important to act quickly. You need a law firm on your side to help you seek justice and collect the compensation you deserve. That’s where we come in. 

At Ciccarelli Law Offices, our Arizona boating accident attorneys have the experience and resources you need, and we can handle these complex cases from the start. Let Attorneys Lee Ciccarelli and Julia Rogers help you through this difficult time in your life. Call us today to begin fighting for justice.