How Vessel Owner Negligence Causes Serious Boating Injuries in Texas: When You Can File a Claim

As one of the top states for recreational boating, Texas also sees more than its share of boating accidents. Whether you are enjoying a day at Lake Travis, Possum Kingdom, or along the coastline of Corpus Christi or Galveston, a boating accident can turn your day of fun into a day of tragedy. If the vessel owner’s actions caused the accident, the injuries you suffer can feel unjust as well as painful.

The Texas boating accident lawyers at Carabin Shaw provide legal guidance to victims of boating accidents, protecting their rights, including the right to compensation from negligent boat owners. Our team is available 24/7 and offers free case reviews in English or Spanish. Call us toll-free now at 1-800-862-1260 or contact us online.

Setting sail can feel relaxing and carefree, but small vessels on the open water also face risks. When operators don’t take those risks seriously, life-changing injuries can occur, including:

• Disfiguring lacerations
• Sprains and bone fractures
• Amputations
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
• Drowning or near drowning
• Carbon monoxide poisoning

Injuries happen in a moment, but consequences may last a lifetime. Having an attorney pursue compensation on your behalf can help you move forward after a devastating accident on the water.

Boat owners owe a duty of care to people who rent their vessels or passengers on board to keep them safe. When owners breach that duty, it can result in disaster. Examples of boat owner negligence might include:

• Allowing underage or inexperienced operators at the helm
• Failing to keep their vessel in seaworthy condition
• Lacking sufficient safety gear on board
• Exceeding maximum weight or passenger limits
• Failing to follow standard boating rules on the water
• Operating the vessel while impaired by drugs or alcohol (BUI)

Proving negligence requires your lawyer to show the owner had a legal duty of care, breached that duty, and the breach led directly to your injuries.

During the investigation, your legal team may also discover that other parties contributed to your accident, such as an equipment manufacturer that produced a defective part or another boater who failed to follow boating regulations. Under Texas’s proportionate responsibility rule, your lawyer can hold all at-fault parties liable if they can prove negligence in each case.

Personal injury claims after boating accidents can be more challenging than pursuing compensation after a crash on Texas roads. Unlike streets, Texas waterways lack traffic cameras, lane markings, or other reference points that make determining the cause of an accident more straightforward. It can also be more difficult to preserve evidence, as vessels may be moved immediately after an accident and some evidence could disappear into the water.

Contacting a boating injury lawyer in Texas soon after an accident allows your legal team to collect necessary evidence while it is still available. Since boat operations are governed by the Texas Water Safety Act instead of the Texas Transportation Code, you want an attorney with experience handling boating accidents to manage your case. Check out our law firm’s client reviews to see how we’ve helped other victims like you.

Injuries after a boating accident can be debilitating and expensive. You may be out of work for an extended period and require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation. Some victims may never be able to return to their lives as they were before the accident. Fortunately, you can see compensation from responsible parties to ease the financial strain on you and your family. Compensation might include:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages and earning potential
• Property damage
• Emotional distress
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Your legal team will calculate your damages based on your current and future losses to cover your financial needs now and moving forward.

Accidents on the water can have devastating consequences for victims and their families. Carabin Shaw’s expert attorneys can help. We offer our services on a contingency-fee basis, so you pay nothing unless we win your case. Call us toll-free now at 1-800-862-1260 or contact us online.

For more information:

• Cornell Law School
• Texas Statutes 33
• Parks and Wildlife Code