Boating Accident Injuries
Combine a fast-moving vehicle, inadequate life vest usage, water and often a reckless or negligent "skipper," and you have a recipe for disaster. Boating accidents are on the rise in the United States, prompting many areas to enforce tougher speed laws and alcohol restrictions on the water. Despite these precautions, it is likely that the rate of boating accidents will continue to soar.
Boating Accident Statistics
According to the U.S. Cost Guard, there were 5,705 reported boating accidents in 2002, resulting in 750 fatalities, 4,062 serious injuries, and $39,185,172 in property damage. The upward trend is obvious, with this being the highest number of deaths reported since 1998. A collision with another vessel is the most frequently reported boating accident scenario. However, capsizing and falls overboard are the most frequently reported types of fatal accidents, accounting for more than half of all boating fatalities. Seventy percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and nearly 85 percent of those victims who drowned were not wearing a personal flotation device, such as a life jacket.
Types of Boating Accident Injuries
The injuries that can result from boating accidents are all too familiar: brain and spinal cord injuries, sprains, fractures, abrasions, concussions, internal and soft tissue injuries, paralysis, burn injuries; and just about every other injury associated with the operation of other motorized vehicles. There are a number of factors that can cause boating related injuries or fatalities, including many of the same factors that lead to injuries and fatalities for drivers of other motorized vehicles: speeding; reckless driving; ignoring posted signs and warnings; driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol; operating damaged or defective boats; operating in unsafe weather conditions; and operator ignorance and inexperience.
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