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Like collisions between motor vehicles on land, accidents involving two or more vessels on the water can have deadly repercussions at any speed. It is possible to take legal action against the person responsible for causing a boat crash. However, any offshore collision comes with unique risks and legal requirements, and it is vital to take the first steps toward compensation as soon as possible.
An Erie boat accident lawyer’s assistance may prove crucial to building a case, pursuing recoverable damages, and achieving a positive result from this unique type of civil claim. In addition to helping with preliminary filing procedures, your capable personal injury attorney can work to incorporate past and future losses into your claim and ensure common legal roadblocks do not keep you from getting the restitution you deserve.
What to Do After an Erie Boat Wreck
Whenever someone gets into an auto accident resulting in property damage or physical injury, the involved parties must contact law enforcement, report the accident, and render aid to anyone in need. Likewise, 58 Pennsylvania Code §§ 101.2 through 101.4 require people involved in boating accidents to file a written report with the state Fish and Boat Commission within 10 days if the accident causes any physical injury requiring professional medical care or more than $2,000 in property damage. If the wreck resulted in a disappearance or fatality, the deadline to file a report is shortened to 48 hours.
Fulfilling this reporting requirement is an essential first step to filing suit over the boating accident. Someone who fails to comply with these deadlines may have that failure held against them as a form of contributory negligence. Courts could assign partial fault to the plaintiff and deny some or all the compensation the injured party otherwise could have been entitled to. An Erie boat injury attorney can offer guidance to ensure an injured party meets all deadlines and prerequisites for litigation.
Recoverable Damages After a Boating Collision
Both economic and non-economic forms of harm can be factored into a comprehensive settlement demand or lawsuit over a boating collision. On the economic side of things, compensable losses may include past and expected future medical expenses, as well as lost work income, lost future working ability, vessel repair/replacement costs, and other personal losses with a quantifiable value.
Non-economic losses, as the terminology suggests, cover more subjective forms of harm. Courts could assign financial value to physical pain, psychological distress, and lost overall enjoyment or quality of life for compensation. A seasoned Erie lawyer can go into further detail during a confidential consultation about what damages a particular person may be eligible to recover and help accurately estimate the expected value of future losses after the boat accident.
Get in Touch with an Erie Boat Accident Attorney
Boat accidents can be traumatic to experience and extremely difficult to recover from in physical, financial, and emotional terms. Under these circumstances, having support from a qualified and compassionate legal professional can make a huge difference in how much compensation you can recover and how smoothly the legal process goes for you and your family.
After the accident, you should have the opportunity to focus on your recovery without concerns about your finances. An Erie boat accident lawyer’s support can help minimize stress and maximize compensation for an injury you suffered on the water. Call Lowenthal & Abrams, Injury Attorneys to learn more.
