A drunk boater can kill people just as easy as a drunk driver. A boat operator who has been drinking is the number one contributing factor to fatal boating accidents. It was reported as the primary factor in 16% of all boating accidents and as a contributing factor in up to a third. The governor of Michigan will be signing a new bill into law that would lower the legal blood alcohol content for people driving boats on Michigan waterways. The new law will lower the legal blood alcohol content threshold from 0.10 to 0.08 for people operating boats, snowmobiles and off-road vehicles.
In Virginia (VA) the current legal blood alcohol concentration for those 21 and up is 0.08%, for those under 21 years of age there should be no measurable blood alcohol concentration. The Virginia boat accident attorneysat our firm understand how serious boating accidents can be and the injuries that might be suffered by innocent victims.
Safely steering a watercraft requires as much mental focus and physical coordination as safely operating a car or truck. Every state and the federal government enforce BWI laws, as well as speed limits in specified areas of rivers, lakes and harbors. Violating those regulations can bring harsh penalties.
Unlike a car accident, where help from an ambulance and police can take a few minutes, a boat accident can leave an injured victim stranded in the open water for much longer periods of time making the injury even worse. We have seen instances of people suffering brain injuries, paralysis, and/or multiple broken bones in serious boat accidents. And that’s if they the victim was fortunate enough to avoid drowning.
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