With summer brings a return of the boating culture. Boating is a great way to spend an afternoon but what starts out as a great time can quickly turn into a nightmare if a boating accident occurs. If this does happen, contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 to find out if you have grounds for a personal injury suit. If you have not yet left the harbor, we strongly suggest you take these three steps to stay safer on the water.
- Make Sure You Have Life Jackets on Board
- Check Your Boat’s Lights
- Make Sure Your Registration and Boating License Are Up to Date
You must be sure that you have options if you find yourself in an emergency situation. This includes having life jackets on your boat. You should have at least one for each person that is on your boat at any given time. You should check them regularly to make sure that they are not damaged. If you see that they have become frayed, or if they are otherwise damaged, then they should be replaced.
If you plan to take your boat out when it is dark, then you should make sure that your lights are working. Check any battery backup they may have. Make sure that your lights work as they are supposed to. Remember that even if you only plan to boat during the day, you never know when a storm or a patch of fog could roll along. In these situations, your boat’s lights may be the only thing that prevents other vehicles from hitting you.
Do you have the legal permission to be driving your boat? If your boat license has expired, or if your boat registration has expired, then the answer is no. Before you go out on the water, make sure these documents are up to date. If they are not, you risk fines and distractions that can result in your driving less safely than is ideal.
Know What to Do if You Are in a Boating Accident
Many people go out on the water without a second thought about what they would do if they were in an accident. To often when an accident does happen, the victim does not realize that they have legal recourse. Just as you do if you are in a car accident, you have options if another party is at fault for your boating accident.
The first thing to do is to contact a personal injury attorney. You can easily reach The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 to request a free legal consultation. We can go over the options, listen to your case, and give you an honest opinion on your best way of moving forward.
