Memorial Day weekend is in the books, and that means it’s officially boating season here in Minnesota. Boating and swimming in the lake can be a great way to stay cool and enjoy summer, but it can also lead to injury if people aren’t careful. If you are injured on the lake, you may be eligible for compensation. Below, we explain what you should do in the event that you or someone you’re with are injured in a boating accident.
Boating Injuries in Minnesota
High speed boats, personal watercrafts and differing laws between lakes can all lead to accidents and injuries on the water, and that doesn’t even account for the drivers who get behind the wheel while intoxicated. Boating accidents are far too common in Minnesota lakes, but you need to remember that you are eligible for injury compensation if another party played a role in your injury.
Now, if you are pulling your kids behind a boat in an intertube, and they fall out and break their arm, you’re not going to be able to get compensation for that type of injury. However, if another party contributed to the accident, you may be able to file a personal injury suit against that person. Here are some examples of potential injury suits on the water.
- You suffer an injury after another driver strikes your boat.
- A family friend offers to drive the boat for a water skier, but they are under the influence, and they drive in such a manner that the water skier hits a dock, breaking their leg.
- A jet skier hits a swimmer, causing injury or death.
These are just a few of the common types of accidents we hear about on the water, and although boating-related accidents have declined in Minnesota in recent decades, they are still an unfortunate reality.
Damage To Property
Similarly, you don’t have to suffer an injury in order to collect damages from an at-fault party on the lake. If someone causes damages to your property, you can file a lawsuit to receive compensation. If you lend your boat to someone and they bring it back with a dent, or if an inebriated driver causes damage to your dock or float, you are entitled to damages.
Personal injury and property damage are far too common on the water, but you can stay safe by ensuring you have a sober driver, driving defensively on the lake, and always following the rules of the specific lake you’re boating on. At Hey Workers, we have years of experience fighting for the rights of those people who have been injured or had property damaged while boating, and we can do the same for you. Since the majority of boating accidents and injury involve negligence, it is important that you have a lawyer in your corner to help prove the negligence and maximize your claim.
For more information on how Hey Workers can help collect compensation on your behalf in the event of a boating injury or accident, give us a call at (844) 439-9675.
