Boating is a popular way to spend your free time in Macon and throughout Georgia. This state is home to numerous lakes that are perfect for fishing, water skiing and other activities out on the water.
Unfortunately, boating can also be dangerous, as accidents can occur and cause boaters to suffer severe personal injuries. If these accidents are caused by the carelessness of boat operators, they could be held liable for the damages suffered by the victims. This could include medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
If you were injured in a boating accident on Lake Tobesofkee or another body of water in Georgia, contact one of our Macon boating accident lawyers for a free consultation. We can review your situation to determine if you may be entitled to compensation. If we believe you have a case, we can help you pursue all of the compensation you deserve. We will represent you on a contingency fee basis and will not charge legal fees unless we obtain fair compensation. Our firm has achieved successful results in a variety of personal injury cases.
Complete a Free Case Evaluation form or call us today at 1-844-RESULTS.
Benefits of Working with a Boat Accident Lawyer
You should strongly consider meeting with a skilled attorney after a boating accident. An attorney will know how to properly evaluate your situation to determine if you are entitled to compensation.
The attorneys at Roden Law have many years of combined experience negotiating fair compensation. We are also prepared to go to trial to pursue fair compensation because we know negotiations are sometimes unsuccessful.
Our Macon boating accident lawyers know how devastating a boat accident injury can be. That is why we will manage every aspect of your case, from filing a claim to negotiating compensation. This will allow you to focus on what is most important: your recovery.
Call Roden Law today to find out if we can help you. 1-844-RESULTS
Types of Boating Accidents
The Macon boating accident attorneys at our firm handle cases involving many different types of boats and watercraft, including:
- Canoes, kayaks and paddleboards
- Sailboats
- Motorboats
- Pontoon boats
- Deck boats
- Cuddy cabin boats
- Skiffs
- Ski or wakeboard boats
- Inflatable watercraft
- Jet skis and other personal watercraft
- Airboats
Our attorneys have seen many different types of accidents involving these vessels, including:
- Collisions between two or more vessels
- Collisions with people in the water
- Collisions with fixed objects, such as land, rocks or submerged objects
- Drownings of people who were swimming or fell overboard
- Slip and fall accidents
- Explosions
- Capsizing
- Crashing after hitting another boat’s wake
These and other boating accidents can result in severe, potentially life-threatening medical issues, like brain or spinal cord injuries. Other boating accident injuries include:
- Burns
- Severe bruising
- Electrocution
- Drowning
- Internal injuries
- Strains, sprains and other soft tissue injuries
- Lacerations
- Broken bones
- Hypothermia
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
These injuries often require extensive treatment for a long period of time. Unfortunately, this is often difficult to afford, particularly if you are unable to work for an extended period of time. That is why you should meet with a Macon boating accident lawyer after an accident to find out if you may be entitled to compensation.
We are prepared to pursue compensation for all the damages you have suffered, including:
- Hospital stays
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Prescription medications
- Durable medical equipment, like wheelchairs or crutches
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
Contact Roden Law today to schedule your free, no obligation legal consultation. 1-844-RESULTS
Building a Case for Negligence
Our Macon boating accident lawyers will need to establish that negligence caused your accident to have a chance of obtaining the fair compensation you deserve.
Negligence is the failure of another person or entity to use reasonable care to help prevent others from being injured. In other words, our attorneys will need to show that the person who caused the accident did not act the way a reasonable person would have if he or she was in a similar situation. A common example of negligence is operating a boat under the influence of alcohol, which is a violation of Georgia’s Boat Safety Act.
Other common examples of negligence that contribute to boating accidents include:
- Failing to pay attention
- Speeding, especially in high traffic areas or those with low speed limits
- Failing to use caution in bad weather
- Failing to carry safety equipment on the vessel, such as life preservers
- Traveling with too many people on board
- Turning too sharply
- Operating in an area with impaired visibility
- Poorly maintaining the vessel
- Defective or malfunctioning equipment
Many of these actions are violations of regulations in the Georgia Boat Safety Act. For instance, the law prohibits reckless operation of a boat or watercraft. A common example of reckless operation is failure to regulate speed, which means operating a boat at a speed that could cause danger, injury, damage or unnecessary inconvenience either by the vessel itself or its wake. For instance, it is illegal to travel too fast near swimming areas, docks, moored boats or fishing boats.
Other examples of reckless operation include:
- Overloading a boat beyond the capacity displayed on the capacity plate installed by the boat manufacturer
- Following too closely behind another boat
- Traveling within 100 feet of another boat at an excessive speed unless you are passing it or meeting the other boat
Our Macon boating accident attorneys have extensive knowledge of boating laws and how to apply them to the specifics of your case. We also have the resources to conduct a detailed investigation to establish when negligence occurred and how it contributed to your injuries.
Schedule a free legal consultation today by filling out a Free Case Evaluation form.
Statute of Limitations for Boat Accidents
A boat accident case is a type of personal injury case, which means it is governed by Georgia’s personal injury statute of limitations. This law says that you must file a claim within two years of the date the cause of action accrues. In other words, you must file a claim within two years of the accident that caused your injuries.
There are some boating accidents that were caused by defective equipment. For instance, maybe a defective piece of equipment on the boat caught fire and caused you to suffer burn injuries. If this happens, our attorneys may be able to pursue a product liability lawsuit. The statute of limitations for these claims is also two years from the date of the accident that caused your injury.
If you do not file a lawsuit before the statute of limitations for your claim expires, you will lose the right to do so and you might lose your only chance of obtaining fair compensation.
The Macon boating accident lawyers at Roden Law know the statutes of limitations in Georgia and can work to ensure your claim is filed on time.
Complete a Free Case Evaluation form or call us at 1-844-RESULTS.
Contact a Macon Boating Accident Lawyer Today
If you were injured in any type of boating accident, it may have been caused by negligence. That means you could be entitled to compensation for medical expenses and other damages caused by your injuries.
However, if you want to pursue compensation, it is to your benefit to have a skilled attorney working with you. The Macon boating accident attorneys at Roden Law have detailed knowledge of the many aspects of these claims, including how to establish that negligence occurred and that it caused your injuries.
Your consultation with our attorneys is free and you will not be charged for our services unless we obtain compensation.