NYC Boating Accident Attorney

You might be entitled to a financial settlement or award if you or a loved one has recently been injured in a boating accident in New York City. The experienced NYC personal injury lawyers at Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. will help you fight to maximize your recovery. With more than 200 years of combined experience and $1 Billion recovered, you can rest assured that your case is in good hands.

Contact our NYC law office to arrange a free initial case assessment and learn more today.

How Will a Personal Injury Lawyer Help Me After a NYC Boat Accident?

Boat accidents can be terrifying. When you’re out on the open water, things can take a traumatic turn. It’s not uncommon for victims to struggle with severe mental anguish and emotional distress after an accident, in addition to painful physical ones, as well. Whoever is responsible for causing your boat accident has to be held fully accountable for the harm and suffering they’ve caused.

At-fault parties and their insurance companies won’t just write you a check willingly, though. You’ll have to demand the money you need and deserve. Hiring a personal injury lawyer can level the playing field and give you some time to recover. 

At Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C., we’ve been advocating on behalf of boat accident victims in NYC for more than 40 years. We’ve seen just how much of an impact these traumatic accidents can have on victims and their families. We’ve also seen how important a financial recovery can be in the days, weeks, months, and years that follow. That’s why we roll up our sleeves and fight tirelessly to get our clients the money they deserve.

When you call us for assistance after your NYC boat accident, you can expect us to:

  • Cooperate with law enforcement agencies and investigators to make sure we’re able to gather all relevant evidence
  • Review police reports and medical reports, interview witnesses, review boat records, and analyze all other evidence that’s gathered in support of your case
  • Bring in experts to help us identify the likely cause(s) of your boat accident
  • Identify and seek compensation from all liable parties
  • Mitigate efforts to shift blame for the boat crash to you
  • Handle negotiations with insurance companies, whose only goal is to limit or deny a payout.

Our NYC boat accident lawyers will stand by your side from start to finish. We’ll handle all of the aspects of your case while keeping you fully informed. If there’s a deal to be made, we’ll find it. If negotiations don’t yield a legitimate settlement offer, our skilled trial lawyers will take your case to court. You can trust that we’ll do everything in our power to recover maximum compensation on your behalf.

How Common Are Boating Accidents in New York?

Yes, New York City is one of the largest and busiest urban areas in the nation. However, a lot of people tend to forget that Manhattan is an island, Brooklyn and Queens are part of an island, and Staten Island is an island. The Bronx is the only part of New York City that’s connected to the contiguous 48 states – and the borough still has its fair share of waterfront property. New York City also has large bodies of water inside its boundaries, as well. 

Where there’s water, there are boats. And, where there are boats, accidents are bound to happen. That’s certainly true in and around New York City. 

According to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, there were hundreds of boating accidents in and around New York City in 2018. 

  • Bronx County: 4 accidents, resulting in 1 injury and 1 death.
  • Nassau County: 32 accidents, resulting in 10 injuries and 1 death.
  • New York County: 11 accidents, resulting in 11 injuries and 1 death.
  • Queens County: 19 accidents, of which 2 were fatal and 11 caused injuries.
  • Richmond County: 1 accident, causing 1 injury.
  • Suffolk County: 120 accidents, causing 58 injuries and 6 deaths.
  • Westchester County: 24 accidents, causing 5 injuries and 3 deaths.

Where did most of these accidents happen? Bodies of water where accidents were reported most frequently include the:

  • Long Island Sound
  • Manhasset Bay
  • Oyster Bay
  • East River
  • New York Harbor
  • Harlem River
  • Hudson River
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Jamaica Bay
  • Great South Bay
  • Moriches Bay
  • Shelter Island Sound, and
  • Three Mile Harbor.

It doesn’t matter where your NYC boat accident took place. If you’ve been injured, our qualified personal injury team is here to help you demand the money you deserve. Give us a call today to learn more.

We Handle All Boat Accident Injury Cases in New York City

It doesn’t matter whether you were injured on a gondola ride on Central Park Lake or your kayak was hit by another vessel on the Hudson. We represent clients who have been injured in all types of boating accidents in and around NYC. This includes:

  • Rowboat accidents
  • Kayak accidents
  • Canoe accidents
  • Gondola accidents
  • Sailboat accidents
  • Speedboat accidents
  • Personal watercraft accidents
  • Jet ski accidents
  • Ferry accidents
  • Cruise ship accidents
  • Commercial fishing boat accidents
  • Duck boat accidents
  • Tour boat accidents, and more.

After your accident, don’t hesitate to seek medical attention. Once you’re stable or released from the hospital, give our law firm a call to discuss your case and learn about your legal rights.

Leading Causes of Boat Accidents in NYC, NY

Boating accidents happen quite frequently in and around the city. According to crash data, the leading causes of these accidents include:

  • Operating a boat while distracted
  • Operator inexperience
  • Weather
  • Machinery failure
  • No proper lookout
  • Alcohol use (boating under the influence)
  • Hazardous waters
  • Excessive speed
  • Violating navigation rules
  • Careless or reckless operation, and
  • Congested waterways.

These factors contribute to many different types of accidents, including collisions with fixed objects, collisions with other vessels, capsizing, grounding, slips and falls, flooding, fires, and even passenger ejections.

Following your accident, our team will carefully analyze the circumstances that led to your injuries. We’ll rely on the help of boating experts, who can provide insight into the most likely causes of the accident. Establishing the cause(s) will be fundamental in our pursuit of compensation for you. Once we know why your boat accident happened, we can figure out who’s to blame.

Liability For NYC Boating Accidents

In New York, anyone who plays a role in an accident can be liable for resulting harm. This might include negligent or reckless:

  • Boat operators
  • Passengers
  • Boat rental companies
  • Tour boat companies
  • Ferry companies
  • Employers of boat operators
  • Boat manufacturers or retailers
  • Boat mechanics, and
  • Government agencies.

Financial responsibility for a recreational boating accident is allocated between all responsible parties. If you played a role in your accident, this means that you can be assigned some of the blame, too. If that happens, your damages will be reduced. 

For example, if you’re allocated 30 percent of the blame, your financial award will be limited to 70 percent of your damages. At the same time, you’ll also be liable for up to 30 percent of other victims’ losses.

This is why it’s critical to work with a NYC boat accident lawyer who knows how to minimize the impact of any claims that you are responsible for your injuries. The team at Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. will work hard to disprove these allegations and, in turn, limit the amount of fault allocated to you. The less blame you share, the more money you can potentially walk away with at the end of the day.

Damages Available to Boating Accident Victims in NYC

Following a boating accident in New York City, you might be entitled to compensation for:

  • Medical bills and expenses
  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Disability
  • Lost wages and income
  • Disfigurement and scarring
  • Property damage, and more.

Our NYC boating accident attorneys will work hard to make sure that you’re fully compensated for your injuries. We’ll dig deep and really analyze your injuries. Experts can help us understand how your injuries will affect you – today and in the future. When we sit down to negotiate a settlement, we’ll rely on this information to force insurers to offer a legitimate settlement.

Time Limits for Filing a Boating Accident Lawsuit in NYC

In New York, state law provides that victims will have up to three years after a boating accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. You could potentially have more or less time, depending on the specific details of your case. However, if the statute of limitations expires before you’ve filed a personal injury claim, you’ll lose out on the money you deserve. 

Don’t let that compensation slip away. Contact us today or as soon as you can after your accident. Our team can identify the statute of limitations for your case and make sure that your case is filed on time.

Schedule a Free Consultation With Our NYC Boating Accident Lawyers Today

If you’ve been injured or have lost a loved one in a fatal boating accident in NYC, Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. might be able to help you recover a financial award. Give our experienced New York City personal injury attorneys a call today to arrange a free case assessment. We will listen to your story, help you understand your rights, and help you figure out the next steps in your pursuit of compensation.