New York Boat Accident Lawyers
A boat accident can be a terrifying experience to go through. These accidents have the potential to cause serious or potentially life-threatening injuries, including broken bones, soft-tissue injury, burns, amputations, or spinal or brain injuries. But pursuing a claim against big businesses or insurance companies can easily be time-consuming and too complex to handle on your own.
When you have been hurt in a boat accident in New York that was caused by someone else’s negligence, you deserve to seek financial recovery. A boat accident lawyer from Harris Keenan & Goldfarb can assist you with holding those who were at fault for the accident and your injuries accountable.
Since 1996, our attorneys have dedicated themselves to building a reputation for excellence, ethics, and compassion in our advocacy on behalf of injured accident victims.
We strive to offer experienced, compassionate service to our clients from the moment they reach out to our firm all the way through the resolution of their case.
We understand the difficulties that you may experience after you were injured in an accident. We will work tirelessly to obtain fair and full compensation for your injuries and losses as quickly as possible so that you can get the treatment and care you need to resume living a normal life.
After you have been injured in a boating accident in New York, reach out to Harris Keenan & Goldfarb for a free initial case evaluation. We can help you learn more about how you can demand compensation from those at fault for the accident and your injuries. Our firm represents clients in local, state, and federal courts in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and throughout the New York area.
Why Choose Harris Keenan & Goldfarb to Help after a Boat Accident?
Being involved in a boat accident can have life-altering consequences. If you have been seriously hurt in the accident, you may need to pursue financial recovery for expenses and losses that you incur because of your injuries. A boat accident attorney can help you with a legal claim. But how do you know which attorney or law firm is right for you and your case? At Harris Keenan & Goldfarb, we believe that we can offer you the legal representation you need and deserve during this difficult time because:
Our legal team’s experience.
We have a combined 80-plus years of advocating for the rights of clients. Our knowledge and skill allow us to offer you innovative and tailored options and solutions to pursue the outcome you want and deserve in your case
Our reputation among our peers in the legal community.
Several of our attorneys have been recognized by groups and publications such as the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Super Lawyers
Our track record of success.
We have obtained some of the top verdicts in New York and have recovered millions of dollars for our clients through settlements and at trial
Our dedication to getting the best possible result for you.
We prepare every case as if it were going to trial so that we can thoroughly pursue your legal options
Boat Accident Statistics
According to New York State Parks, in 2020, there were a total of 240 accidents throughout the state involving recreational boats and watercraft, out of a total of 433,457 registered vessels. These accidents resulted in 127 cases of injury as well as 31 fatalities.
Common Causes of Boat Accidents
Some of the most frequent causes of boat accidents include:
- Operator inattention, including failing to notice collision or grounding hazards.
- Creating excessive wakes.
- Negligent lookouts.
- Speeding.
- Operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Violating navigational rules.
- Operating in dangerous weather conditions or sea states.
- Negligent vessel maintenance.
- Defective vessel design or manufacture or defective marine parts.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Boat Accident?
One or more parties may be at fault for a boat accident. Liability will depend on the circumstances of the accident. Parties who may be held responsible to compensate you for injuries and losses that you have sustained from a New York boat accident include:
Boat captains or operators
Who can have liability for a boat accident that is caused by their negligence. This may include operators of vessels other than yours, such as if your boat gets into an accident when a larger vessel creates an unsafe wake.
Vessel crew members
Such as engineers or deckhands.
Boat owners
Such as charter or ferry operators or private owners of rented or chartered boats.
Maintenance companies
That may be held liable for inadequate or negligently performed maintenance that leads to an accident.
Boat manufacturers or marine part manufacturers
That can be held liable for design or manufacturing defects that cause an accident.
Compensation Available in Boat Accident Claims
When you have been involved in a boat accident, you may be entitled to recover compensation for losses that you have incurred or will incur in the future. A boat accident lawyer from Harris Keenan & Goldfarb will fight on your behalf to secure financial recovery for:
- Repair bills for damage to your boat that was involved in the accident or the value of your vessel if it was destroyed in the accident
- Medical expenses, including for hospital care, surgery, doctor’s appointment, physical/occupational therapy, prescription medications, or purchased medical/mobility devices and equipment
- Expenses for long-term care of permanent disabilities.
- Lost wages and income if you need to miss work due to your injuries from the accident.
- Loss of earning potential if you become permanently disabled because of your accident-related injuries and can no longer work.
- Pain and suffering.
- Lost quality of life due to impairments or disabilities, or visible scarring and disfigurement.
In addition, you may also receive an award of punitive damages in a boat accident trial. An award of this type is intended to “punish” the party or parties at fault for the boat accident for reckless or egregious conduct and to deter others from committing similar acts in the future.
What to Do When You’ve Been Involved in a Boat Accident
Following a boat accident, you should remember to take the following steps to protect your legal rights for pursuing a claim for compensation:
- Document the accident by taking photos and video, if possible, as well as getting contact information for any witnesses to the accident.
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible to have a physician diagnose any injuries you may have suffered in the accident.
- Follow your medical provider’s treatment instructions, not putting off any treatment or rehabilitation that you have been directed to undertake.
- Keep bills, invoices, and receipts for any expenses that you have incurred due to the accident.
- Find and keep your pay stubs or tax records if you’ve missed time from your job or cannot go back to work after the accident.
- Start a journal to keep a record of the pain and difficulties that your injuries and medical recovery cause you.
- While you are still treating or rehabilitating your injuries, try to avoid posting on social media since photos or videos of you traveling or being active can be used to undermine your injury claims.
Finally, meet with a New York boat accident lawyer from Harris Keenan & Goldfarb to learn what else you can do to pursue financial recovery for the losses you’ve sustained due to an accident that wasn’t your fault.
Harris Keenan & Goldfarb
How a Lawyer Can Help with
Your Boat Accident Claim
When you have been injured in a boat accident in New York, you may decide to pursue a claim for compensation against the party or parties responsible for the accident. Let a lawyer from Harris Keenan & Goldfarb help you seek accountability and justice for your injuries by:
- Thoroughly investigating the accident to recover evidence we can use to build an effective case on your behalf.
- Reviewing the facts and circumstances to identify the parties at fault for the accident, as well as potential insurance coverage that can compensate you for your injuries and losses.
- Documenting your injuries through your medical records and providers’ testimony and calculating your past, ongoing, and future expenses.
- Going over your legal options with you and what you can expect in your case and keeping you updated on the progress of your claim.
- Filing insurance claims or demand letters on your behalf with the at-fault parties or their insurers to begin the process of seeking to get you the full compensation you need as quickly as possible through a negotiated settlement.
- Pursuing your claims in court and at trial, if needed to recover the maximum compensation possible in your case.
At Harris Keenan & Goldfarb, we can take the stress of pursuing your case off your shoulders, so that you can focus your time and energy on recovering from your injuries and getting back to normal life after a traumatic boat accident.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions that we hear about boat accidents include:
It is inadvisable to try to pursue a boat accident claim on your own. Boat owners and operators and their insurers will likely have substantial resources at their disposal to delay and deny your claim for compensation. A boat accident attorney can stand up for your interests and advocate on your behalf to demand full financial recovery. A lawyer can thoroughly investigate the accident, prepare an effective and persuasive case, and aggressively pursue a negotiated settlement or a verdict in your favor at trial.
The attorneys of Burns & Harris represent injured victims of accidents on a contingency-fee basis. When you hire our firm for your boat accident case, you will not be required to pay legal fees upfront. We are only paid when we win money for you by securing a negotiated settlement or a verdict in your favor at trial. That way, you won’t need to worry about paying for a lawyer when you are already dealing with other financial burdens, like medical bills or lost wages from not being able to work. You have no financial risk in pursuing your legal rights to demand compensation from those whose actions caused your injuries.
Following a boat accident, you have limited time to file a lawsuit against the party or parties responsible for the accident. The statute of limitations under New York law gives you only three years from the date of a boat accident to file a suit for compensation. A boat accident lawyer from Burns & Harris can review the details of your case and advise you when you will need to file a lawsuit to continue your claim.
If you file suit after the statutory deadline has passed on your boat accident claim, you risk letting your claim be permanently dismissed out of court and losing the opportunity to hold those responsible for your injuries accountable.
Although most cases involving personal injury are settled long before going to court or to trial, we cannot predict whether litigation will become necessary in your case. Various factors will affect whether you may need to file suit or go to trial. Among those factors are the type and severity of your injuries, the amount of compensation you are seeking for your expenses and losses, and whether the party or parties you are seeking compensation from deny liability for the accident or your injuries. While we work diligently to secure full compensation for you as quickly as possible, you can trust that we will provide you with honest advice. When going to court or trial is the best option for pursuing maximum financial recovery in your case, we’ll tell you.
Contact Us for Help in Recovering Compensation for Injuries Suffered in a Boat Accident
When you have been injured in a boat accident, you need experienced legal representation to help guide you through the complex issues that can arise in your case and reduce the compensation you deserve. Call Harris Keenan & Goldfarb at 800-724-6529 today for a free, no-obligation consultation. You can also fill out our intake form and a member of our team will call you. Let’s discuss how a boat accident lawyer from our firm can make a difference in your recovery from a life-altering accident.
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