Boating Accidents
One of the benefits of living in New England is the recreational opportunities created by easy access to the ocean, the Cape, and the many lakes and rivers in the area, such as boating. These waters are also an important source of commercial activity. Unfortunately, recreational and commercial boating can lead to injuries and, in some cases, death.
The United States Coast Guard has reported that hundreds of deaths occur each year as a result of boating accidents. These deaths may be the result of collisions with another boat or other watercraft, failure to properly maintain the boat in a safe condition, failure to provide personal floatation devices to passengers, or other negligent actions of the owner or operator of the boat. They may also be the result of intoxication or drunk operation of the boat; the Coast Guard estimates that nearly a quarter of fatalities from boat accidents are due to the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Both commercial and recreational boating activities have resulted in deaths. The types of vessels accidents occur on include whale-watching cruise boats, harbor cruise ships, sailboats, ferries, jet skis, recreational boats, container ships, and water taxis. Victims may include passengers, drivers, workers, pilots, officers, and bystanders.
Sadly, many of these deaths could have been prevented. If your family member has suffered a wrongful death in a boating accident due to the negligence of a boat owner or operator, Massachusetts state law may allow you to be compensated. We will work with you to identify parties who might be responsible for the wrongful death of your loved one and work to hold them accountable. Nothing can make up for the loss of a loved one, but recovering financial compensation, also know as damages, and achieving justice through a lawsuit can help you recover financially and emotionally.
Massachusetts state law allows the families of victims who have suffered a wrongful death due to a boating accident to recover for a variety of their losses. These include:
- Funeral and burial expenses.
- Pain and suffering the victim experienced.
- Hospital bills and other medical expenses.
- Loss of wages and income the victim would have earned over the course of his or her life.
- Loss of the companionship, consortium, society and guidance the victim would have provided family members, including family members who were not financially dependent on the victim.
- Emotional distress family members suffered as a result of the accident, and physical injuries that can sometimes develop as a result of emotional distress.
The attorneys at Sheff Law have been fighting to preserve the rights of family members of wrongful death victims for decades. In addition to our legal expertise, we work with experts in the fields of medicine, forensic economics, and engineering to advocate on your behalf. Our experienced attorneys and team of outside experts have helped families receive damages awards in the multi-million dollar range in some cases. Other families have been awarded damages in the range of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Please fill out the form or call us today at (617) 227-7000 or (888) 423-4477 to schedule an initial consultation, free of charge. We stand ready to help you.
