What Damages Can I Recover After a Boating Accident?

 Posted on May 17, 2024 in Personal Injury

Boating accidents are accidents that involve the collision of a boat into an object or another boat or the negligent or reckless operation of a boat that results in injuries to passengers. Tourists on the U.S. Virgin Islands are often involved in boating accidents, as are locals who may operate boats regularly around the islands for work or pleasure.

You may be entitled to compensation if you have been injured in a boating accident. Even if you are no longer present in the U.S. Virgin Islands, you may be able to pursue a case to recover damages. A knowledgeable U.S. Virgin Islands boating accident lawyer can help you understand your options.

Common Boating Accident Injuries

Boating accident injuries may occur for many reasons, including negligence of the ship’s captain, equipment malfunctions or breakdowns, improper training of the boat’s captain or crew, or operation of a vessel while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The injuries sustained in a boating accident can be severe, and they may have life-changing effects. The most common types of injuries that affect victims of a boating accident include:

• Disfigurement caused by contact with a boat propeller
• Amputations
• Neck and spinal cord injuries, including paralysis
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Lacerations
• Broken bones
• Whiplash and back injuries
• Severe burns

When a victim of a boating accident dies due to injuries sustained in an accident or by drowning caused by a boating accident, his or her death may be considered a wrongful death under the U.S. Virgin Islands Code.

Damages You Can Claim After a Boating Accident

U.S. Virgin Islands Code allows for those injured in a boating accident to pursue a claim against the operator of the boat at the time of your accident. The damages you can claim are generally categorized into three main classifications – economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.

• Economic damages include items like medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and home care as necessary, in addition to things like adaptive equipment for disabilities or ongoing therapies.
• Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, or mental and emotional traumas.
• Punitive damages are rarer. They are typically awarded when the person who caused the boating accident acted in a particularly reckless or negligent way; these damages are considered a punishment to the responsible party.

Your claim may include all three types of damage, especially in cases where injuries are particularly severe or catastrophic or caused by an individual operating a boat egregiously.

Contact a U.S. Virgin Islands Boating Accident Lawyer

Enjoying a day out boating around the U.S. Virgin Islands should be fun, though accidents and injuries can happen. It is important to speak with a St. Croix boating accident attorney as soon as possible after a boating accident to learn about your options for recovering damages.

Our team of experienced lawyers at Colianni & Leonard LLC has been in practice since 1968, and we are dedicated to advocating for our clients after a boating accident around the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Call 340-719-1766 for a free consultation.