Boating accidents often leave victims traumatized and seriously injured – and confused about their legal rights to compensation. Boating accidents aren’t always simple collisions and may involve negligence on the part of the boat operator or the manufacturer of the boat or its components. If you or a loved one has suffered serious injury from a boating injury, contact Scott C. Gottlieb & Associates, LLP, for information and advice about your rights.
Contact our Syracuse boat accident lawyers for a FREE evaluation at 800-TALK-LAW (800-825-5529), toll-free or via our online contact form. Our NY injury attorneys respond to all calls and inquiries on the day received.
First Steps Following a Boating Accident
There are several important things to remember if you have been involved in a boating accident:
- Most boat crashes require that you send a report to either the state agency regulating boats or the U.S. Coast Guard.
- In the state of New York, you must file a report if the boat crash involved injuries that needed more than first aid or if there was property damage above a certain amount. This is important.
- Failure to remain on the scene, provide aid, and report the accident in a timely manner is a crime.
- You should also report the incident to your insurance company. This is a requirement if a state or federal report was made.
If you have been injured in any kind of boat crash that was someone else’s fault, you have the right to be compensated for a wide range of things, including:
- Property damage;
- Medical expenses;
- Lost wages;
- Injury;
- Pain and suffering.
In the extremely unfortunate event that a death has resulted from the accident, you can file a wrongful death suit. A competent boating accident lawyer can make sure everything gets done right. A boating accident lawyer can also make things much easier for you by negotiating with insurance companies and guiding you through the legal process.
Contact Our Syracuse, NY Boat Accident Lawyers Today
At Scott C. Gottlieb & Associates, LLP, we work with accident reconstruction and economic experts to help prepare your case, and we give your case our full attention. We also provide assistance with other legal problems that arise during the pendency of the case.
Our aim is to provide quality legal services while treating each client with care and respect. If you or one of your family members has suffered a serious injury from a boating accident, contact our Syracuse boat accident attorneys for a FREE evaluation at toll-free or via our online contact form. We respond to all calls and inquiries on the same day received.
The New York communities we serve include, but are not limited to, Syracuse, Binghamton, Elmira, Rochester and Watertown.
ATV Accidents
All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) are three or four-wheeled motorized used for off-road riding. They have gained enormous popularity in the last decade. In many ways, these vehicles are ideal for recreation, rescue efforts, and quick, easy transportation in off-road areas. However, in the last 20 years, more than 6,000 fatalities have occurred from injuries associated with ATVs, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The group estimates that at least 30 percent of all the people involved in ATV accidents are children.
When ATVs first entered the market in the 1970s, they were three-wheelers, and there were virtually no safety standards. The vehicles were involved in so many rollovers and injuries that the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit alleging that ATVs and their manufacturers violated the Consumer Product Safety Act. In 1987, the ATV manufacturers agreed to stop producing three-wheeled ATVs, but did not recall the 2.4 million defective ones that had been already sold. Many of these extremely dangerous ATVs remain in use today.
Some ATV accidents are caused by manufacturing defects in the ATV itself. In legal terms, “manufacturing defects” are flaws in the manufacturing process that result in injuries. “Failure to warn” describes a situation in which a manufacturer knows of a hazard regarding the product and does not warn consumers about it. “Design defects” are errors in the product design that make the vehicle dangerous. Hundreds of thousands of ATVs have been recalled since 2000.
If you or someone you love has been injured in an ATV accident and it was due to someone’s negligence or a mechanical defect, you may be able to be compensated for your loss. Some things can never be replaced, but through the legal process you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, vehicle repairs, pain and suffering, loss of earning and future loss of earnings. In the extremely unfortunate event that a death has occurred as a result of the accident, you can file a wrongful death suit.
The personal injury attorneys of Scott C. Gottlieb & Associates, LLP have years of experience helping those who have been injured in ATV accidents. Contact us today for a free case review.