Florida Boating Accidents

It is no wonder that Florida, a state with 1,197 statute miles of coastline, 11,000 miles of rivers, streams and waterways, and Lake Okeechobee, the second-largest freshwater lake in the United States, has the highest number of registered boats in the nation. Floridians love their boats and the time they spend on the water in the Sunshine State. In 2022, the number of registered recreational boats in Florida passed 1 million, says the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

Unfortunately, the many recreational boats in Florida are susceptible to reckless and/or negligent operation that leads to injury and death. Florida leads the nation in the number of recreational boating accidents, both fatal and injurious.

Trust in the law firm of Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, for help with your Florida boating accident claim. We serve victims of incidents that cause injuries and death on boats, personal watercraft and other marine vessels in South Florida and the Treasure Coast.

Call us now at 1-800-299-8878 to speak with a compassionate boating accident attorney or fill out our online contact form.

The Facts on Boating Accidents in Florida

The FWC reports that in 2022, there were 735 reportable boating accidents in Florida, resulting in 65 fatalities and 457 injured persons. The leading type of accident was collision with another vessel, accounting for 34 percent of the reports.

Most of the victims who tragically died were found to have died by drowning (64 percent) while others succumbed to traumatic injuries. Falling overboard was the cause of most fatalities (27 percent) in Florida boating accidents in 2022.

Personal watercraft (i.e., Jet Skis, WaveRunners and Sea Doos) accounted for 16 percent of all registered vessels in Florida in 2022 and were involved in 24 percent of reportable boating accidents.

A “reportable” boating accident is one in which a person dies, a person disappears in circumstances that indicate the possibility of a fatality, a person suffers injury requiring medical treatment beyond first aid, or there is property damage worth at least $2,000.

Common Causes of Florida Boating Accidents

The FWC says that 70 percent of the operators involved in fatal boating accidents in Florida in 2022 had no formal boater education. In addition, alcohol or drug use was cited in 13 percent of Florida boating fatalities that year.

Other common causes of Florida boating accidents, fatal or non-fatal, include:

• Operator inexperience
• Inattention
• No proper lookout
• Excessive speed
• Careless or reckless behavior by the boat operator
• Violation of navigational rules
• Machinery failure.

Contact Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, Today

Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, has investigated boating accidents in South Florida and the Treasure Coast and has protected the rights of boating accident victims since 1975. If you’ve been hurt, Philip DeBerard is on your side.

Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, is compassionate in dealing with our clients’ individual issues and aggressive in our pursuit of personal injury and wrongful death claims on their behalf. We are committed to helping boating accident victims throughout South Florida and have offices in Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, Okeechobee, Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach.

We want to secure maximum compensation for their losses.

Contact Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, by calling us today toll-free at 1-800-299-8878 or submitting our online form. You can talk with a lawyer today and receive a free consultation about your case. We will charge no fees or costs unless we secure a recovery for you.