Long Island Boating Accident Lawyer

When a careless or reckless boater causes injuries on the waters of Long Island, injured claimants have options for seeking compensation. Applicable laws allow the victims to hold the at-fault party legally responsible and recover a fair payout. Yet, many claimants don’t know where to begin.

A Long Island boating accident lawyer from Rosenberg & Gluck, LLP is here to help if you or a loved one suffered injuries in a collision or another incident on the water. Our legal team provides free initial consultations for victims and their families. We can help you understand your options based on the circumstances of your injuries. Contact us today to get started.

Rosenberg & Gluck, LLP Represents Long Island Boating Accident Victims

Our team handles insurance claims, trials, and appeals. We also represent our clients as we navigate these processes, which could include arbitration, mediation, and other alternative dispute resolution options. As you can see from our client testimonials, victims of many personal injury incidents trust our team to protect their rights and secure the compensation they need and deserve.

We Make Legal Help Accessible to Those Who Want It

Our team provides free consultations for personal injury victims on Long Island, including those hurt in boating incidents. Here, callers can learn about their next steps, legal options, and other relevant matters.

We also work based on contingency, never asking our clients to pay upfront fees. Our attorney’s fees come as a percentage of the compensation recovered. We can discuss this during your free initial consultation.

We Represent Boating Accident Claimants on and Around Long Island

You can trust our attorneys to handle your boating injury case after an injury that occurs on any body of water on or around Long Island. Given its location, there is no surprise that this is an extensive list of bays, islands, and waterways.

In addition to the Atlantic Ocean, we represent clients hurt in/on:

• City Island
• Cold Spring Harbor
• Fire Island
• Freeport
• Greenport Harbor
• Hempstead Harbor
• Huntington Bay
• Jones Beach
• Larchmont
• Little Neck Bay

Our team understands how boating incidents occur, how they cause injuries, and what you need to overcome the damages you suffered. This enables us to pursue the best possible outcome for your injury claim or lawsuit.

Building a Case Against the Party Liable in Your Boating Injury

To recover compensation in a boating injury case on Long Island, you must show that another party acted negligently and caused the incident and your damages. That is, you must have evidence to show their carelessness or recklessness caused the boating accident.

This requires an investigation, made easier by the experience, knowledge, and resources of a personal injury law firm. When you trust our team with your case, we handle this entire process on your behalf. We gather evidence of negligence and liability, building a case against the at-fault party and seeking compensation.

We First Uncover the Cause of Your Boating Accident

As noted, you must have evidence showing how the other party acted without regard for others’ safety.

Forms of negligence that can lead to collisions include:

• Operator error
• Distractions
• Boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• A lack of training or experience in operating similar crafts
• Violating boating laws or navigational rules
• Speeding
• Reckless behavior
• Collisions
• A lack of safety gear
• Defects or poor boat maintenance

We Then Determine the Liable Party in Your Case

Because of the many ways boating incidents occur, several parties could be liable. Liability depends greatly on the circumstances of what happened. Our attorneys know how to determine these circumstances and use what they learn to identify the liable party.

Liability could fall on:

• The boat operator of the boat you were on
• The operator of another boat
• The owner of a boat involved
• A rental company that rented the operator the boat
• A marina or dock owner
• A boat maintenance shop
• A boat manufacturer

Sometimes, multiple parties might share liability, or the victim might not know the identity of the liable party. This makes the case more complex, but our team often helps clients identify the boater who left the scene or pursue cases against multiple liable parties. We fight to help our clients recover fair compensation after suffering boating injuries.

Our Boating Accident Lawyers Serving Long Island Help Recover Damages

Some of the damages we seek for our clients in these cases include:

• Medical care costs, current and future
• Ongoing care and support expenses
• Income lost from time missed working
• Reduced capacity to work and earn a living caused by lasting injuries
• Miscellaneous related expenses with receipts
• Pain and suffering
• Various non-economic damages, like disability and scarring

We also manage wrongful death cases on Long Island. Here, beneficiaries can recover compensation after a loved one passes away in a boating incident.

Damages in a wrongful death case on Long Island could include:

• Medical care costs before the decedent’s death
• Burial and funeral expenses
• Loss of the decedent’s income
• Lost inheritance and other benefits
• Loss of services to the household, including childcare or yard work
• Lost relationships, such as loss of parental guidance

The Severity of Your Injuries Determines How Much You Can Seek

We consider many factors when calculating your damages. One of those factors is the severity of your condition. For instance, a fall onboard likely has a dramatically different outcome than a propeller injury. Compensation should reflect your condition and its effect on your life.

The U.S. Coast Guard lists some injuries that arise from boating accidents:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Anoxic brain injuries (near-drowning)
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• Other neck and back injuries
• Traumatic amputations
• Crush injuries
• Internal injuries
• Severe lacerations and scarring
• Electrocution burns and other injuries

While our lawyers seek compensation for victims with any type of injury, cases with catastrophic injuries require additional attention and extra steps. We need to ensure we seek compensation for not only our client’s expenses to date but also for their future treatment and ongoing care needs.

Our Boating Accident Lawyers Build Strong Cases to Recover Compensation

At Rosenberg & Gluck, LLP, our attorneys do not believe victims hurt by someone else’s recklessness or carelessness should have to pay the bills that result from that party’s negligence. In most cases, state law agrees. Those hurt in boating incidents on Long Island can pursue compensation to cover their bills, financial losses, and non-economic damages stemming from this type of incident.

Our lawyers help clients hold the at-fault party accountable. This process requires us to gather evidence, show what happened, and calculate a fair settlement range for the case. Only then can we demand compensation from the insurer or take the case to trial.

You Can Trust Our Team to Investigate Your Boating Accident

Investigating a boating collision or another incident on the water requires resources, experience, and knowledge of how to build these cases. Victims often miss key evidence when they try to handle this process on their own. Gathering evidence and building a compelling argument for compensation is more difficult than it seems.

Our evidence often includes:

• Official reports about the incident filed by law enforcement officers
• Eyewitness statements and follow-up interviews
• An accident scene survey
• Photos or videos of the incident
• Physical evidence
• Accident reconstruction conducted by professionals
• Interviews with experts about your prognosis, future care needs, and more
• Documentation of your damages

Once we conclude the investigation, we organize our argument in a way that tells the story of what happened and who is liable. This is essential for convincing the insurance company their policyholder will not win at trial, and they should offer a better payout. Alternatively, we use this evidence during a trial to show the jury why our client deserves fair compensation.

Our Team Determines an Appropriate Course of Action for Your Case

Our attorneys develop a customized approach to your case, deciding suitable options for pursuing a fair payout. This could include filing an insurance claim, suing, or both. It is not unusual for our team to continue negotiating with insurers while preparing a court case. This depends almost entirely on the case’s facts and circumstances. Our clients count on us to make the right decisions to get the best possible outcome in their cases.

Our clients also trust us to manage all communications with the relevant insurance company. In our experience, insurance companies don’t want to pay claimants the money they deserve. They want to settle a case while paying as little as possible. We know the tactics they use and how an adjuster might try to downplay or undervalue your injuries. We fight for the fair compensation our clients deserve.

The Statute of Limitations for Suing After a Boating Injury on Long Island

There are deadlines for taking legal action in a boating collision case. If you suffered injuries on a boat or in a boat-related accident off Long Island, we can help. However, we must be mindful of the applicable deadlines.

Generally, our attorneys have up to three years to file a personal injury lawsuit in New York State. However, exceptions exist. For example, if we need to sue a municipality, we could have as little as 90 days to act. There is also typically a two-year time limit in wrongful death cases, as established by New York law.

Ensuring we meet all applicable deadlines when possible is part of protecting our clients’ rights in their personal injury cases. However, we need to ensure we know about a case well in advance of the deadline. This allows your lawyer to preserve time-sensitive evidence and file your case on time.

Our Lawyers Advance Boating Accidents Caused by These Factors

For decades, our lawyers have advocated for victims of negligence. We’ve successfully recovered damages for boating accident claimants hurt by:

Collisions

When two boats collide, serious injuries often occur. This is especially true when one boat is much smaller than the other. For instance, when a ski boat moving at high speed crashes into a kayak, the kayaker will likely suffer significant harm. Most boating collisions occur because of carelessness or recklessness. Speeding, inexperience, and drinking or drug use often contribute to these incidents.

Accidents at the Dock

Sometimes, incidents occur at the marina or dock. These occur because of negligent boat operators or owners, actions by marina workers, or issues with the dock itself. Boats could come into the marina too fast, or a poorly maintained dock could create a trip hazard. Body parts get pinned between the boat and the dock. Electrocutions are also common issues at these locations.

Incidents Involving Swimmers

Unfortunately, some boating accidents involve swimmers instead of other boats. These include propeller incidents that lead to catastrophic lacerations, amputations, and blood loss. When there are people in the water, boaters must pay much closer attention to operating the vessel than when only looking for other watercraft.

Falls Overboard

When someone falls overboard, they could suffer traumatic brain injuries, go unconscious and drown, or suffer propeller injuries. These falls may occur when two boats collide or rough waters complicate navigation.

Operators must pay close attention to ensure everyone stays on the boat. In the event someone falls overboard, they should have life vests and rescue equipment available.

Falls Onboard

Falls onboard the boat are among the most common ways people suffer injuries. It is easy to slip, lose footing, or fall because of the speed and movement of the boat. The operator should maintain a steady speed and direction anytime passengers stand on the vessel.

Contact Our Team Serving Long Island for Help With Your Boating Injuries Case

At Rosenberg & Gluck, LLP, we provide free case assessments for victims hurt in boating incidents on the lakes, rivers, and other waterways on and around Long Island. Our personal injury attorney in Long Island fight for the best interests of victims hurt by others’ negligence in many types of personal injury accidents. Our team can also assist clients in Spanish.

If you suffered injuries in a boating accident off Long Island, we are here for you. Contact us at (631) 451-7900 to learn more.