Brain Injury Attorney Blog

A boating accident occurs when 1) a boat passenger dies or is seriosly injured, 2) a boat passenger disappears and death or injury is suspected, or 3) a boat causes or sustains damage. A boating accident doesn't necessarily mean a collision occured.

There are several factors that can cause a boating accident. Over 30% of boating accidents are caused by drivers who are under the influence of alcohol. Boating under the influence is a serious offense which all states have criminalized. Severe weather is also a threat to boaters. A third risk is the fact that boats emit carbon monoxide, which can be very harmful to boaters if they are exposed to a lot of the gas. Another factor that contributes to boating accidents is when inexperienced boat drivers are on the water.

If you cause a boating accident, you may be held responsible for the victim's property damage, medical expenses or other loses. If the victim of the boating accident does sue you, it will benefit you to have a consultation with an experienced civil attorney. Call one of the South Carolina civil lawyers at The Mace Firm for a free consultation.

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The State Department of Natural Resources has decided to add ten officers to patrol the waterways next summer rather than establish speed limits. The DNR has decided to step up the amount of officers on the water to try and reduce recklessness. This comes about because of four boating deaths caused by boating accidents on May 1 on Lake Murray.

This decision has disappointed some boaters and safety advocates. They believe that setting speed limits would slow down traffic. On the other hand, other boaters and safety advocates agree that speed limits would be difficult to enforce and would take the officers off of the water to attend legal proceedings.

South Carolina has more than 400,000 registered motorboats, one of the highest numbers in the nation. There is already a boating safety course for underage operators, and courtesy inspections are routine at boat landings during holiday and high-profile boating events. While the number of boaters is increasing the number of police is decreasing due to budget cuts.

If they are unable to enforce boater safety laws or classes, there could be many more boating accidents with deadly consequences this summer. If you are unfortunate enough to be injured in a boating accident, please call The Mace Firm to schedule a free consultation with a South Carolina boating accident attorney.

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The South Carolina Coast Guard along with local law enforcement agencies have increased efforts to protect people on the water with the upcoming July 4th weekend. This effort is being termed Operation Dry Water and will focus on individuals boating under the influence. This is basically a DUI on the water. This also covers the use of drugs while operating a boat. Most boats on the water during a holiday weekend have alcohol on board and several people who may have no experience operating a boat. This upcoming event is sponsored by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. This is an important effort because there will be someone injured during the holiday weekend while boating. There is always someone who has had to much to drink and they just cannot park the boat. Law enforcement officials will most likely be conducting random checks on boats to ensure boating laws are complied with during this weekend.
Injuries from boating accidents are at time very severe because it is impossible to stop a boat once it gets going. There are no boat "brake", which is the primary reason to boat with caution. Our injury lawyers have represented families and victims of boating accidents. The case requires knowledge of the boating regulations and of any criminal law that is being violated on the water. Boaters are required to carry some insurance on there boat. The bigger the boat, usually the high amount of insurance coverage. Witnesses to what occurred prior to the accident are critical, as is any information gathered by the police or Coast Guard. Myrtle beach lawyers have experience with these accidents because of the large waterway that separates Myrtle Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Charleston also has a very large marine with thousands of boaters on the water. Our Charleston attorneys have experience with boating accidents and can assist in handling this type of action.

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