Boat Operator Errors: a Common Cause of Death and Danger on the Waterways
The U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division reports that boating operator errors account for 70% of boating accidents. Operator error includes excessive speed or speeding, inattention to surroundings and equipment, failure to follow recreational boating rules and accepted practices, use of alcohol, inexperience, and reckless behavior. Boat insurance coverage provides protection for legal liability due to an accident resulting from the ownership, maintenance, or use of your watercraft, including bodily injury, property damage, and legal defense. However, insurance will not shield you completely from liability in every circumstance. Boating accidents are not limited to collisions, but include other instances where someone is killed, injured, or disappears while boating. The United States Coast Guard defines a “boating accident” as one of three possible scenarios:
1. A boat passenger dies or becomes seriously injured;
2. A boat passenger disappears and death or injury is suspected; or
3. A vessel causes or sustains damage.
It is important to note that “[p]ersons who cause a boating accident may incurcivil liability, criminal liability, or both. Victims of a boating accident may sue another boater for property damage, medical expenses, and other losses they have incurred as a result of the incident. Additionally, the state may bring criminal charges against a boater if the driver caused an accident while intoxicated or operated their vessel recklessly or with gross negligence.”
