• The US Coast Guard responded to 4,730 accidents in 2009. 736 of these involved a fatalities and 3,358 caused injuries.
• Boat accidents caused $36 million in property damage in 2009.
• 75% of all the fatal accidents in 2009 involved a drowning victim. 84% of the victims were not wearing a life jacket.
• 70% of drowning victims were on boat 21 feet or less.
• Only 14% of fatal accidents occurred with a boat driver who had received some sort of boating safety instruction.
• Alcohol is the leading contributing factor in fatal boat accidents.
• Operator inattention, inexperience, excessive speed, failure to look out and alcohol are the top five factors in fatal accidents.

So keep these facts in mind this year as you enjoy the Florida waters and sun. Do not drink and boat, follow the law, wear a life jacket and pay attention.

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando wrongful death attorneys.

PWC’s are smaller, quicker and easier to navigate. Timothy C. Nies, contributor at Avvo.com, cites a University of Florida study that shows how PWC accidents can cause more serious injuries than other boats.

“Most PWC injuries are caused when an operator or passenger is thrown off the vessel at high speeds,” says Nies.

Remember to always read the owner’s manual before operating a PWC and enroll in a PWC safety course. Avoid crowded areas, especially before you are experienced. Always wear a lifejacket and keep the engine cut-off lanyard around your wrist.

Keep these tips in mind before you take off on a PWC. Have you or a loved one been injured in a boating accident?

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando personal injury attorneys.

The name of the man is not available to the public at this time. Two passengers were in the boat as well but suffered minor injuries. When the boat hit a rock, the man was severely injured and the other passengers contacted the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard and another boat responded but the driver was pronounced dead on the scene.

“They were unfamiliar with the area,” said Gorchess. “I believe that they thought they were coming back in Carolina Beach Inlet, which doesn’t have a rock jetty.”

Have you or a loved one been injured or killed in a boating accident?

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando wrongful death attorneys.

Officer Robert Dube of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says charges are not typically filed against boaters for these types of violations.

“We don’t know if they had the proper equipment or not,” said Officer Dube.  The family had been out fishing when their 22-foot boat capsized.  Fishing guide David Jenses eventually found the family and rescued them.

“I tried to get them to swim to the boat, but they said they didn’t know how to swim,” Jensen said.  “Then I had the mate throw them life jackets.  One guy put on the lifejacket and swam to the boat.”  Officials believe weather could have played a part in the accident.

Do you think that someone should be held accountable for not equipping the boat with proper safety equipment?  Should someone be charged for the wrongful death of the victim?

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando personal injury attorneys.

The U.S. Coast Guard reports that in 2006 there were 710 deaths and 3,451 injuries in boating-related accidents in this country.  Seventy percent of these of the deaths happened on boats where the operator had no formal safe boating instruction.  Could their deaths have been prevented if the driver had taken a course?  Perhaps.  I find it ironic that you must pass a driver’s test to operate a motor vehicle which you’re going to drive on roads and highways with all kinds of traffic control devices such as traffic signals, speed limit signs, dotted lines for passing etc.  Yet you don’t need a license to drive a boat as fast as you want, in whatever depth of water the craft will go, in whatever direction you want,  with no taffic control measures at all.  So to be safe on the water this year, take a boating course at your local US Power Squadron or the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

You may think that your safe in your boat because it’s just a small one, but the stastistics will prove you wrong.  Eighty percent of the people who died in boating accidents were in boats 20 feet or shorter. 

Just like alcohol and driving doesn’t mix, neither does boating and alcohol. Twenty percent of the boating fatalities had alcohol as a major contributing factor.

The most significant statistic that can be most easily remedied is with the two thirds of the boating deaths that were the result of drowning.  It may sound logical that they died from drowning, since they were on the water, but 90 percent of those who drowned were not wearing a life jacket. It’s sort of like seatbelts. They’re there for a reason which is to save lives, but they only work if you use them.  Before you put your boat in the water this year,  invest in U.S. Coast Guard certified life jackets and make sure everyone wears one.  The newer jackets are not nearly as bulky as the old orange ones, and they may just save your life or the life of your family.

Another recommendation from the American Red Cross  that pertains to all water activities is that everyone should learn to swim.  It may mean the difference between life and death in the event of a boating accident.

So in short, before you take the boat out again remember the following:

No alcohol on the boat, life jackets for everyone, take a safe boating course and learn to swim.  It could just save your life!