Westchester County Boat Accident

A boat accident can cause significant trauma and serious injuries such as a head injury, back injury, neck injury or a broken bone. While these accidents can happen on any type of watercraft, they are most frequently seen with pleasure craft. Sailboats, jet skis, motorized boats and wave runners could all be categorized as pleasure craft. Any type of watercraft can be involved in an accident. These types of accidents can be complicated. A boat accident is not the same as an auto accident. Admiralty and maritime law and regulations can be involved depending on where the accident took place. If you or a loved one were injured in a boating accident, it is important that you immediately contact an experienced Westchester County boat accident lawyer who will help you get the compensation to which you are entitled.

Boat accidents caused by negligence occur all too often in New York. Boat operators are required to operate their boats with a high degree of care so as to not harm passengers, other operators of boats, people using personal watercraft, and swimmers. While operating boat I quite different from operating a car, the general reasons for boat accidents are quite similar to car accidents. The most common reasons include:

• Operating while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Speeding
• Operator inattention
• Mechanical failure
• Manufacturing defect
• Operator inexperience

As a result of the reckless of the operator or negligence on the part of the boat manufacturer boats collide, boats capsize, passengers fall overboard, explosions occur, and other problems occur that lead to serious injuries or death.

Where the boat is a large commercial vessel or a small personal watercraft, victims of maritime accidents may suffer a variety of serious injuries such broken bones, nerve damage, back injuries, neck injuries, brain injuries and injuries to the spinal cord.

Serious injuries from a boating accident can lead to significant medical bills, extended recovery time, and missed work. Through a personal injury claim there are a variety of types of damages that may be available to you based on the losses you suffered.

Medical bills. Seriously injured victims will undoubtedly face substantial medical expenses. These expenses include the fees your doctors and specialists charge, hospital fees, MRIs, surgical fees, lab tests, costs of over-the-counter and prescription medication, costs of medical equipment and assistive technology, and fees associated with psychological counseling and rehabilitation. In some cases medical bills continue for months and even years after the accident. You can recover compensation not only for past medical bills related to the injury, but also for future medicals. This is critical because with permanent or debilitating injuries medical care is needed for the rest of the victim's life.

Lost wages. If your treatment lasts for a long time you will miss a lot of work. This means that you will not receive your weekly or monthly paychecks to provide you with income to pay your medical bills and other every day bills. It also means that you will not receive other benefits for working such as insurance. You can demand payment for your lost wages and compensation as well as loss of future earning capacity.

Furthermore, you can also demand payment for pain and suffering.

Boat accident cases are extremely complicated and may involve state, federal as well as international law. To make sure that your case is properly handled it is critical that those who represent you are experienced handling boat accident cases. Contact the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates to discuss the details of your case. Our staff is experienced in handling claims from people injured on a variety of watercraft including fishing boats, water skis, cruise ships, jet skis, commuter ferries, and sailboats. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your case. We represent clients in the following locations: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, Nassau County, Queens, Staten Island, Suffolk County and Westchester County.