Anyone lucky enough to live near a beach or lake takes full advantage of the water. Boating, swimming, and water skiing are all great ways to spend time in the summer. Your township is close to many of the best locations for water fun.
Boating and Jet Skiing are hazardous sports, and the people who participate in them do not all have the same skill levels. That leads to accidents and injuries. After boating accidents, victims file insurance claims and expect to receive compensation for their injuries from their insurance companies.
Proving liability in Piscataway boat accident claims requires help from a legal team well-versed in personal injury cases. If you hire our experienced boat accident attorneys at Fredson Statmore Bitterman, LLC, we can help you file your claim and prove who was responsible for your boating accident.
How Do I Prove Negligence?
As is true with any personal injury claim, proving the other party in your Piscataway boat crash was negligent means showing that they had a responsibility to you and that they failed to carry it out. You must also show that this failure caused your injuries.
A synonym for “responsibility” is “duty of care.” Boat operators must obey boating regulations, follow speed limits on the water, and ensure that their boats are properly maintained. These people must also obey drinking and boating laws.
If boat operators fail to do these things, it is a breach of duty. Speeding, drinking while boating, and ignoring wake zones are breaches of duty.
You must show causation between the other party’s breach of duty and your accident. For example, Jet Skiers’ reckless speeding through wake zones is the cause of their collisions with other vessels. Finally, you must have damages because of your accident, which means you must suffer some kind of injury or loss because of the other party’s actions.
Proving Damages
When you file your insurance claim, you must include evidence that shows how the other party’s actions were linked to your injuries. Our attorneys at Fredson Statmore Bitterman, LLC, can tell you what type of information will help support your claims. Evidence can include:
- Photos and videos from the accident site that show where and how the incident occurred (weather and water conditions on the day of the accident are especially important)
- Witnesses’ statements
- Accident reports from the Coast Guard or law enforcement
- Boat maintenance records (they can show that your vessel was in good condition before the incident)
Other information can include your medical records and your doctor’s notes, proof of lost income, and property damage estimates.
Getting Compensation After a Boating Accident
State law only requires powerboats over 12 feet long to have boating insurance. This means that if someone using a smaller watercraft hits you, you might have to sue them directly to recover damages.
However, companies that rent personal watercraft, such as Jet Skis, may have rental coverage on all their vehicles or offer optional insurance for their customers. To establish liability in your Piscataway claim, it is essential to get the other party’s name and contact information after your collision and find out whether they are the watercraft’s owner or renter.
Speak With a Boat Accident Attorney About Proving Liability in Your Claim
Proving liability in Piscataway boat accident claims is only one step in getting the compensation you need for your injuries and damages. Our attorneys at Fredson Statmore Bitterman, LLC, can explain all the other steps we must take to obtain the settlement you deserve.
Call us today to schedule a free and confidential consultation. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you pay nothing until we settle or win your case.
