New York Boat Accident Attorneys

Boating accidents are any accidents that involve a boat or a personal watercraft such as a jet ski.

Many states have responded to this increased traffic on the water by instituting mandatory license and certification programs. In New York, all power-driven vessels, including personal watercraft and federally documented pleasure vessels, that operate principally upon the waters of New York have to register with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

In addition, you may only operate a watercraft once you have completed a boat safety education course approved by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Causes of Boat Accidents

Most watercraft accidents involve collisions with other boats or water skiers, slip and falls on the boat, and sinking. There are a variety of causes of boating accidents but most are a result of:

• A reckless or careless operator
• Excessive speed
• Operating the vessel “under the influence”
• Boat malfunction or product defect
• An inexperienced (underage or uneducated) operator

According to the United States Coast Guard, there were 152 watercraft accidents in New York in 2006. Of those, 14 resulted in fatalities.

Some Boating Accident Statistics for 2006:

• 2/3 of all fatal boating accident victims drowned – of those 90% were not wearing a life jacket.
• 8 out of every 10 boaters who drowned were using boats less than 20 feet in length.
• 70% of reported fatalities happened on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction.
• Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents, accounting for nearly 20% of all reported fatalities.
• 29 children under the age of 12 lost their lives while boating in the U.S. in 2006.
• Nearly twice as many children drowned in 2006 than in 2005.
• The most common types of boats involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (45%), personal watercraft (PWC) (24%) and cabin motorboats (14%).

You Need an Experienced New York Boat Accident Attorney

The experienced boat accident attorneys at Gersowitz, Libo & Korek, P.C. have the knowledge and resources to hold negligent boat operators responsible.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of an injury due to a boat accident in New York or New Jersey, you need knowledgeable and experienced New York boating accident attorneys on your side. The attorneys at Gersowitz, Libo & Korek, P.C. have been winning cases involving people just like you for years. Now, we want to hear your story.

Here’s how to reach us:

–For fastest service, call: 1-800-LAW-9997, or
–Fill out a New York Personal Injury Case Consultation form.

We’re eager to hear your story, answer your questions and lay out all of your available options. All at no risk and no cost to you. That’s right. Our consultations are completely FREE. So call us now at 1-800-LAW-9997.

We handle personal injury cases in New York and New Jersey.