Every year, recreational boating accidents cause injuries or even death on the waterways. Most common are boats capsizing, colliding with a floating object, or colliding with another vessel. Less commonly, boaters are injured due to grounding, falling overboard, skier mishaps, swamping, hitting a fixed object, ejection from the boat, and sinking.

Never get into a boat with an inexperienced operator or captain. Before you operate a boat, take an accredited boat safety course. Everyone on board, including yourself, should remain sober. The boat should have adequate safety equipment that is properly maintained and used. All on board should wear life jackets. It is important to know any hazards on the waterway, and to monitor the weather so that you can get back to dock or safety before bad weather or dangerous water conditions hit.

If your boating accident happened on a Pennsylvania waterway, such as a river or lake, local and state law applies. If it happened at sea (obviously not in Pennsylvania), then federal and possibly even international maritime law would govern.

Pennsylvania State Law requires a Boating Accident Report to be completed and filed within 48 hours of the accident. It must be filed by the operator of the boat involved in an accident resulting in death, disappearance or injury requiring medical treatment beyond first aid. If the operator of the boat is unable to make this report, then the owner of the vessel must report the accident. Federal law requires the operator or owner of a recreational vessel to file a boating accident report with the State reporting authority if vessel is involved in an accident that results in death, injury requiring medical treatment beyond first aid, a person disappears from the vessel, damage to the vessel(s) and other property totals $2,000 or more, or the boat is destroyed.

If you are injured in a boating accident, you need experienced personal injury attorneys representing you and making sure your rights are protected. The attorneys here at Cohen, Feeley, Altemose & Rambo are experienced in boating accident cases and are here to help.