Boating accidents happen everywhere, and they can cause serious damage to people and vessels. If you are involved in a boating accident, you should know what actions to take.
As the leader of the waterborne industry, boat insurance is a must. Without it, you are essentially exposed to financial ruin if you are injured in a boating accident.
So, when it comes to taking care of yourself after an accident, there are some key steps you should take. These include finding a hospital or medical center with good reviews, visiting the hospital as soon as possible after an accident, and obtaining medical attention if needed.
The first point to make is whether or not you need an ambulance or someone to drive you home if the incident ends up being non-life-threatening. The second point is whether or not you need treatment or just updates on your recovery.
Get medical attention
Even if you are not injured, you can still help yourself by getting medical attention. You may be able to walk to your car or boat and drive yourself to the nearest medical facility or boat to get care.
If you are injured on land, you can call a local ambulance service or the Sea Life San Diego marine emergency response system (ER) line at (858) 665-6353 for assistance. You can also request a personal watercraft (a small boat with raised sides) be brought onto shore so you can receive treatment from a doctor or other health care provider.
If your injury is significant, call an athletic field hospital facility near where you are injured to see if they can help with your care. You may also visit a local hospital if you have to be in treatment immediately.
Medical attention is needed for diagnosis and treatment of injuries.
Document the accident
Even if you are not involved in an accident, it is important to take care of your own vehicles after a party or event. You should always be prepared to help yourself or someone else in the case of an emergency.
Being able to document the accident can be helpful when negotiating a settlement with another party involved in the accident. In fact, a good attorney can help you create a legal narrative for your case.
Since attorneys cannot help with creating a document that describes your injuries and how much you need, there are several online sources you can use. Try using an insurance adjuster or marine agent first to see if they can help you out, and then seek the assistance of an attorney if needed.
Whatever method you choose, make sure it is one you would use if you were the one being treated!.
Talk to a lawyer
Having a conversation about how to respond to a boating accident is an important part of preparing for a accidents. However, the conversation must take place soon after the accident occurs. A lawyer can help you prepare for this important conversation.
There are many lawyers working on behalf of boaters and boating enthusiasts. These individuals are trained in how to respond to an accident and can help you organize a court appearance or settlement negotiations.
It is best to hire a lawyer you trust and someone you believe will help get the results you want in court or at a settlement conference. You do not need to pay them until your case is resolved, but early involvement can help save you money in legal fees.
Once your meet with your lawyer, be open about what happened and try to give yourself a timeline.
File a claim with your insurance company
Once you are in a situation where your insurance will cover you, the first thing you should do is file a claim with your insurance company. This helps determine if your damages were covered and how much of it was covered.
You can do this online, by calling your insurance company or contacting them through their web site, or by writing them a letter.
Online: You can also file a claim through an internet site that holds all of your information, such as boat-insurance-online.com.
Know your rights under the law
Any boater who is involved in a water-related accident is immediately required to call 911. This is the most important step after reading his or her own safety instructions and before doing anything else.
However, while going through the process of calling 911 is helpful, it is only the beginning. After calling 911, the next step is to tell an emergency responder what happened, how hes or she got into the water, and whether they were successful in saving someone.
Most importantly, tell them that you submerged yourself to save someone! It may sound silly, but when you are really caught in a situation where you need to submerge yourself to protect yourself or others, it can be hard to remember to do so.
Emergency responders are trained to look for signs of drowning. If someone appears not to be breathing or has no mobility (such as sitting up), they are asked if they have saved anyone before asking if they were able to float or swim.
Who is at fault for the accident?
While it is important to remain objective during any boating accident, the victim is usually the one to decide who is to blame for the accident. This can be difficult when other parties are to blame.
According to boating laws and rules, the person who caused the accident was at fault. The victim can choose not to take any legal action against either party in order to make up for this loss.
However, if the victim chooses not to take any action, then someone else will be responsible for paying out damages in an civil suit. This can be very expensive and/or time consuming to deal with.
As mentioned before, a victim is usually responsible for being “blame” but there are some things that they can do as a last step in order to make up for this loss.
Can you prove who was at fault?
If you are involved in a boating accident, the first thing you should do is to determine who is at fault. This can be very simple or not, depending on the situation.
Many times, the person who was negligent could not prove they were at fault and/or responsible for resolving the accident. This includes presenting proof of liability insurance coverage and/or a boat registration.
If you feel that your responsibility may not be covered, then you should immediately contact a boat liability insurance company to see if they will cover you in this situation. Many times, there are no fees required unless the boat was motorized!
There are many resources available to help you prove your responsibility and/or coverage under this scenario. Make sure to check out these sites so that you can learn how to do this: http://www.boatliabilityinsuranceco.
What are your damages?
Once you are involved in a boat accident, there are a few important things to remember. An accident can cause damages to your body or boat that were not present before.
Some of these damages may not be visible, like damage to the hull or equipment. Others are very apparent, like a broken neck or lost memory due to serious head trauma.
Regardless of the severity, it is important to determine what you have lost and how much you have lost. This can help determine whether you should file a lawsuit or not.
If you have any detectable injuries, including broken bones, bruises, cuts, bleeding and/or unconsciousness due to head trauma, then it is recommended that you go to an emergency room immediately after the accident to get checked out.
You may be able to determine if your injury was accidental or not by looking at the injuries that other people have had in this situation.
