From Recreation to Risk – The Importance of Boating Safely | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

A man was injured recently in a boating accident on South Holston Lake. He was driving at high speeds when he crashed his boat into a group of trees in the water. His sustained cuts and scrapes to his head and is expected to be okay.

The man was intoxicated at the time of the accident and was taken to the hospital to receive treatment.

Fortunately, no one else was involved in the crash. 

Incidents such as these illustrate the behavior of many boat operators when they are out on the water.  Operating boats while under the influence and on the weekends is not an uncommon occurrence, because people often take their recreational activities too far.

The problem is so endemic that alcohol is involved in about a third of all recreational boating fatalities, according to the Boating Safety Resource Center (BSRC).

Here are some basic boating safety tips that are helpful for all boaters to follow to keep themselves safe and to prevent injury to others:

  • Be extra careful on major holiday weekends – Did you know that the weekends of Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor day are considered the deadliest weekends for boating accidents involving alcohol?
  • Know your local boating regulations – open container laws and boating under the influence laws vary from state to state
  • Make sure that you and all passengers on the boat wear life vests – if it is the case that an accident does occur, you decrease your chance of injury or death if you wear a life vest
  • Get a lawyer. – Our Virginia Beach boat accident law firm cannot stress the importance of hiring an experienced attorney who actually has experience handling these types of cases. There is much overlap between investigative bodies in a boating accident, and boating laws that vary even from region to region. Hiring the best lawyer is the most beneficial choice you can make to analyze the web of these laws and how it affects your case.

 

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