Slidell Boat Accident Lawyer

With a long coastline, extensive bayous, and hundreds of lakes, Louisiana is a boater’s paradise. With boating comes boating accidents. Victims of boating accidents suffer injuries similar to those of automobile accidents, with the addition of possible drowning or near-drowning. When these injuries are due to other boaters’ carelessness or negligence, victims deserve compensation.

A Slidell boat accident lawyer could help you recover damages for injuries suffered in a boating accident. The laws surrounding recreational boating and watercraft usage are nearly identical to laws regarding motor vehicles and their safe operation. If you or a loved one has been injured while on the water, contact our personal injury legal team at Parker Layrisson Injury Attorneys for help.

What Are Louisiana’s Boating Laws?

If you think of a boat as a car on water, you are not wrong. Operating a boat, whether your own or a rental, requires a license, registration, and obeying age and drinking restrictions, such as:

• All motorized watercraft must be registered with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF)
• Operators born after 1984 must complete an approved boater education course, or be accompanied by someone who has.
• All vessels must have one personal flotation device (PDF) for each person on board, and everyone under 16 must wear them at all times while in the boat.
• Boating Under the Influence (BUI) is the same offense as a DUI. The BAC for boat operators is 0.08%, as it is for motor vehicle operators.
• Boaters must stop and render assistance in the event of an accident. Boaters must exchange contact information, and report accidents that cause injuries, disappearances, or fatalities to the LDWF.

If you follow these rules and regulations, you reduce your chances of being involved in a serious accident. You also increase your chances of proving you were not at fault if there is an accident. To learn more about whether you have a case, schedule a consultation with a boat accident attorney in Slidell.

Proving Liability After a Boating Accident

Proving liability after a Slidell boat accident can be difficult because boaters can easily leave the scene. Proving your case depends heavily on the evidence you can gather during the incident. You should try to collect as much information as possible before leaving the location. You need things like:

• The registration number of the boat, or the name and description of the vessel
• The name of the owner and descriptions of the other people on board
• Witness statements from anyone who saw the accident or the person who caused it.
• Photos or videos before, during, and after the accident

Your attorney could take this information to establish that the other boater was traveling too fast, not paying attention, or was intoxicated while operating their vessel. When it is time to file an insurance claim, you must be able to show you were obeying the laws before the accident.

Contact a Slidell Lawyer After Your Boat Crash

Proving liability in a boat accident is more complicated than a car accident, only because boat accidents happen on the water and are harder for investigators to examine. An experienced attorney could give you the advice you need to make a solid claim and get the compensation you need after a watercraft accident.

At Parker Layrisson Injury Attorneys, our attorneys could review your case and give you their best legal advice on how to proceed. Contact us today for a free and confidential case review with a Slidell boat accident lawyer.