South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

A Palm Beach Gardens man who lost both his legs in an offshore boating accident last year his filed a civil lawsuit against the boat's operator. The suit alleges that the boat's operator, a 56-year-old Stuart man, came into the diver's flag zone and did not render aid following the boat accident. The incident occurred on January 9, 2009 roughly 4.5 miles northeast of the St. Lucie inlet.

In addition to losing both his legs, the diver has lost his job and continues to undergo extensive rehabilitation. He is able to continue diving with the use of prosthetics that propel his body through the water.

Following a yearlong investigation of the boating accident by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the State Attorney's Office also filed second-degree misdemeanor charges for allegedly violating navigational rules.

Source: Diver sues after losing legs, WPTV.com, January 22, 2010

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The Miami Herald reports that four men and three dogs fell into the Caloosahatchee River earlier this month. The boating accident occurred when two boats tied together flipped over.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the United States Coast Guard initially and recovered three men and three dogs, but one of the men was still missing until several hours later, when they found the body of the 51-year-old Fort Myers man.

Officials say the boating accident victim's body showed no signs of trauma, and they plan to perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Source: Man found dead after boating accident, Miami Herald, December 19, 2009

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The Broward Sheriff’s Office reports that a Boca Raton man suffered minor head injuries following a boating crash. The man’s rented boat hit a concrete bridge post, but the man is apparently doing fine despite a scratch on his head.

Deerfield Beach Fire-Rescue responded to the boat accident and treated the man. Another man who was riding in the boat assured paramedics he was not injured.

Since the boat hit a bridge in their city, Boca Raton police say they plan to investigate. Although none of the passengers were not seriously injured in this case, boating accidents can have serious consequences, including broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and even death.

Source: Boca Raton man suffers minor injury in boating accident, South Florida Sun Sentinel, November 20, 2009

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A few weeks ago, a sail boating accident on Merritt Island in Florida forced the closure of a bridge in the morning and led to a power outage impacting nearly 1,100 customers. The sailboat crash occurred just before 11am when a catamaran with a 50-foot mast attempted to sail down the barge canal.

According to officials, the boaters misjudged the height of electrical wires. One wire fell across the bow of the boat, and power lines dangled in the water after the boat crash. Authorities closed the barge canal for about half an hour, creating an hour-long detour for anyone living north of the canal and those trying to get to Kennedy Space Center.

No injuries were reported as a result of the boating collision.

Source: Boat Accident Leads To 1,100 Without Power, WFTV.com, October 23, 2009

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Last Monday around 11:15am, a 55-year-old man was injured in a boating accident after he was trapped between a bounding boat and a large piling near the Sunshine Skyway. He is a faculty member at the University of South Florida, but it was unclear whether he was working for USF or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at the time of the boating accident.

The family of the injured man requested that his name not be released to the public. The unidentified man was in critical condition when he was transported to Bayfront Medical Center, where he underwent surgery.

The man jumped on top of a large piling, called a dolphin, and tried to keep his 28-foot boat from hitting the structure from a large wake created by a passing tanker. He fell into the water and was pinned between the boat and the piling until other people in the boat were able to pull him aboard.

Man injured in boating accident near Skyway is on USF faculty, TampaBay.com, September 3, 2009

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According to the Cyber Diver News Network, both the United States Coast Guard and Florida media misreported the number of fatal diving accident victims during this year's lobster mini-season. This year, a total of five divers were killed during the two-day annual hunting event.

Among the fatalities were Scott Schichtel, a 39-year-old whose death seems to have been overlooked by the Coast Guard and local media. Schichtel's body was found about three miles off St. Lucie Inlet, where he and his brother were diving for lobsters. Several more Florida scuba divers were killed before the start of the lobster hunting season.

Few of those scuba-related deaths appear to be related to equipment failure. During the past five years, the CDNN estimates that at least 26 divers were killed or severely injured by boats in Florida.

Scuba carnage: Five more divers die during Florida's annual lobster hunt, CDNN.com, July 31, 2009

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A boating accident in Florida's Walton County threw three people overboard, killing one. The 16-foot boat was heading East to West on the bay when it capsized. A 12-year-old girl, her 71-year-old grandfather, and his 74-year-old friend were thrown into the water. All but the 71-year-old got to safety.

The body of the grandfather was recovered around 6:30pm. Members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, (FWC) Walton County Sheriff's Office, Okaloosa County Dive Team, and other agencies spent four hours. Authorities say the boating accident victim was not wearing a life-jacket.

Representatives from FWC say they do not believe that alcohol was a factor in the accident, but they are still hoping to determine the cause of death following an autopsy.

Boating Accident Leaves One Dead, PanHandleParade.com, July 20, 2009

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A boating accident on Lake George, south of Putnam County claimed the lives of two children on Sunday. According to Florida Wish and Wildlife Conversion Commission officials, a 4-year-old boy from Umatilla and a 14-year-old girl from Eustis drowned when their boat got caught in a bad storm. All of the occupants except the 14-year-old were wearing PFD's when the boat accident occurred.

The operator of the boat is believed to have pulled up anchor while the six occupants went down below the cabin of the boat. When two waves came over the bow of the boat, it caused water to build up in the vessel. Then the boat took a wave over the side, which caused the vessel to roll over and capsize, trapping six people in the cabin.

A Mayport-based Coast Guard crew was conducting a training operation when they found the capsized boat. A 5-year-old from Fernandina Beach was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Another occupant, a 36-year-old from Umatilla, was also taken to the hospital and is expected to recover from the Florida boating accident.

Update--Fatal Accident on Lake George, WOKV.com, May 25, 2009

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On Saturday afternoon, six members of the same family were seriously injured when their 33-foot cabin cruiser exploded and burned to the waterline off the southwest corner of Pine Key Island (as known as Beer Can Island) in Florida. An explosion rocked the boat, and it caught fire.

According to a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, six people were seriously injured and were airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, while four children were treated for minor injuries at the scene of the boat accident. The remaining four people on the boat (including one other child) were wading in the water and were not injured. The family has requested that the hospital not release their conditions to the public.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Tampa Fire Department's Investigations Unit are investigating the boat accident.

Officials investigating boat explosion at Beer Can Island in Tampa; 6 still hospitalized, St. Petersburgh Times, May 11, 2009

Officials investigate weekend boat explosion, Florida AP, May 11, 2009

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Boating is a popular activity in the sunny state of Florida for both vacationers and locals. Yachts, motorboats, sailboats, rowboats, personal watercraft, and other vessels can be found throughout the state’s numerous waterways and other bodies of water.

Unfortunately, boating accidents do happen, resulting in injuries and deaths to operators, boat passengers, and swimmers in the water. In 2007, the US Coast Guard says that there were 75 boating deaths in Florida, which is an increase from the 68 deaths in 2006. Overall, there were 663 boating accents in the state last year.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, common causes of boating accidents have included:
• Drunk driving
• Operator inattention
• Reckless operation
• Speeding
• Operator inexperience
• Drug use
• Equipment failure
• Passenger or skier behavior

Examples of boating accidents:
• Boat collisions
• Crashing into a fixed object
• Falling overboard
• Capsized vessels
• Sinking
• Explosions and fires

Boating accidents can lead to broken bones, drowning-related injuries, traumatic brain injuries, other serious injuries, and death.

U.S. Coast Guard Reports A Decrease Of Deaths On the Water, US Coast Guard, May 15, 2008

Boating Accident Statistics, US Coast Guard

2007 Boating Accident Statistics, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

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