Rochester Boating Accidents Attorneys

Fighting for Injury Victims in Upstate New York

Upstate New York has countless bodies of water, including Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Erie Canal, and the Finger Lakes, which provide wonderful opportunities for boating, water skiing, jet skiing, wakeboarding, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, swimming, and other aquatic recreation. Sometimes these activities, combined with boater negligence and/or alcohol, can have severe and even deadly consequences.

At Nobles & DeCarolis, our Rochester boating accident lawyers can help those who have been injured or have suffered the death of a family member due to a boating accident obtain the compensation they deserve.

Common causes of boating accidents

Boating accidents are usually caused when an operator is negligent, and therefore responsible, for an occupant's injury or injury to someone outside of the vessel. Unfortunately, New York State does not require any boating instruction or mandatory instruction for operators under a certain age or for boats over a certain length unless it's a personal watercraft (PWC) such as a jet ski or wave runner. This puts many inexperienced operators at the helm. Boating accidents often happen due to a lack of knowledge of nautical rules and safety laws or operators not following proper safety precautions.

What are Examples of Negligence During a Boat Accident?

Examples of negligence include:

•  boating while intoxicated (BWI); 
• overcrowding and overloading;
•  hitting a big wave or wake at an unsafe speed or angle; 
• ejections from a boat due to improper operation or the decision to navigate in bad weather or darkness;
•  contact with propellers; 
• operating at high speed; 
• failing to keep a lookout while a guest is skiing, tubing, or wakeboarding;
•  not knowing nautical navigational and safety rules; 
• collisions with other watercraft; 
• defective boat design; 
• defective boat construction or repair;
•  hitting a fixed object such as a navigational aid, pier, or bridge.

Contact Our Boating Accident Lawyer Today

The attorneys at Nobles & DeCarolis handle cases of personal injury and death involving personal watercrafts (jet skis, wave runners), center consoles, cabin cruisers, yachts, fishing boats, tenders and dinghys, sailboats, airboats, powerboats, cigarette boats, kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards. Additionally, Mr. Nobles is an experienced boater who understands the navigational rules and safety laws.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a boating accident? Call Nobles & DeCarolis today at (585) 639-3111 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with our Rochester boating accident attorney.