Boat Accident Attorney in San Diego, CA
San Diego is a boater’s paradise, offering tons of boat rental services, cruises, and boating clubs for locals. Whether you’re a local or a visiting enthusiast, you know exactly how beautiful the area is and how joyful a day on the water can be. Unfortunately, accidents happen, even on the water.
Personal watercraft, sailboats, and motorized boats all have something in common—people pilot them. And the number one cause of boating accidents is human error.
If you or someone you love suffered injuries in a boat accident in San Diego, you may have the right to hold the party at fault financially responsible for your losses. An experienced San Diego boat accident lawyer can handle the process of seeking compensation on your behalf.
At Rawlins Law, we have years of experience fighting for people in San Diego who have suffered injuries in preventable accidents. Let us help you explore your options.
San Diego Boat Accident Guide
- Types of Boat Accident Cases
- Parties Who May Owe Damages
- Potential Compensation
- Common Injuries
- How Rawlins Law Can Help
- Don’t Battle the Insurance Company Alone
- Protect Your Rights
- Contact an Experienced Lawyer Today
Why Choose Rawlins Law
Attorney Ashley Rawlins might have grown up in Western Massachusetts, but she knows a thing or two about boating and boat accidents. She’s spent her career fighting for victims of other people’s dangerous actions. In San Diego, that means handling more than her fair share of boat crashes and other mishaps on the water.
Ashley and her team have secured millions of dollars in settlements and court awards for injured clients in the San Diego area. They understand the complexities of state boating accident law and federal maritime law. And they have the grit and determination to hold at-fault parties and their insurance companies accountable for your losses, no matter how complicated the facts or powerful the opposing parties.
Types of San Diego Boat Accident Cases We Can Handle
Rawlins Law can handle a wide variety of boat accident cases.
Ashley and her team invite you to contact us for a free consultation if you’ve suffered injuries in, for example:
- A collision between two or more boats
- A collision between a boat and fixed objects like a pier, bridge abutment, or underwater hazard
- A boat fire
- An accident resulting from someone operating a boat while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- A catastrophic mechanical or electrical failure on a boat
- An accident while boarding or disembarking from a boat
- A slip and fall on a boat deck, boat side pier, or dock
- A dangerous mishap while engaging in recreational activities on a boat, like fishing, swimming, or water skiing
These are just some examples of the types of boat accident cases in San Diego that Rawlins Law knows how to handle. No matter how you sustained injuries on or near a boat in San Diego, contact Rawlins Law today to learn how we might help you get compensation for your losses.
Parties Who May Owe Damages For a San Diego Boat Accident
Under California law, boat accident victims generally have the right to seek monetary damages from any party whose careless, reckless, or intentionally harmful actions played a role in what happened. At Rawlins Law, we understand the complexity of boat accident cases and recognize that multiple parties could owe you money for the harm you suffered in a San Diego boat mishap.
Rawlins Law digs into the details to investigate the cause of a boat accident and identifies every party who might have liability, such as:
- A boat captain who operates a vessel while intoxicated or in a reckless manner
- A boat charter company that fails to maintain a boat in seaworthy condition
- A marina at fault for unreasonably dangerous conditions on a dock or pier
- A fellow boat passenger who engages in dangerous conduct while at sea
- A manufacturer of defective boating equipment that fails in use and leads to an injury
- A government marine authority responsible for causing an unreasonably dangerous condition on the water
These are merely a few examples. Every boat accident case Rawlins Law handles presents a new set of facts and circumstances for them to dissect and evaluate. Contact Rawlins Law today to begin exploring who might owe you money for the harm you suffered in a San Diego boating incident.
What Is The Potential Compensation for Boat Accident Injuries?
California law generally entitles you to receive compensation for the full range of harm you suffered in a San Diego boat accident. At Rawlins Law, we’ve found that our new clients are often surprised to learn about just how many types of compensation we can pursue on their behalf.
Of course, every boat accident case we handle has its own unique facts, but through insurance claims and lawsuits, we can often secure payment for our clients:
- Past and future medical expenses in treating boat accident injuries and related health complications
- Costs for repair or replacement of vessels and personal property
- Past and future expenditures on goods and services necessary for living with or adapting to boating injuries
- Lost earnings and benefits from missing work with an injury
- Vacation days and sick leave used while missing work
- Diminished future earning capacity, if a boat accident left our client disabled.
- Physical pain and discomfort
- Emotional suffering and mental health challenges
- Daily inconvenience and disruption
- Diminished quality of life and relationships
- Scarring and disfigurement
Rawlins Law’s lawyers can also sometimes pursue a court award of additional punitive damages when a client’s San Diego boat accident injuries stem from someone’s extreme or malicious conduct. We invite you to contact us at Rawlins Law today to learn about the types and amounts of compensation we might be able to pursue on your behalf after you suffer harm in a boat accident.
Boat Accident Wrongful Death
Occasionally, a San Diego boat accident will result in a tragic loss of life. In those cases, California law entitles the victim’s surviving spouse, domestic partner, or family members to pursue compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit.
Rawlins Law’s San Diego boat accident lawyers understand that money cannot replace a life cut tragically short. But we have seen how the monetary damages we can secure for a grieving family will often provide the financial foundation for recovering and rebuilding after the loss of a loved one. Contact us today to learn about how we might help confront the difficult aftermath of a fatal San Diego boat accident.
Common Injuries Associated with San Diego Boat Accidents
Boat accidents can result in a variety of injuries.
The team of legal professionals at Rawlins Law has the collective knowledge and knowhow to secure compensation for virtually any trauma a boat accident might inflict, including:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Drowning-related brain injury
- Spinal cord injury (SCI)
- Crush injury
- Penetrating injuries
- Burn injury
- Lacerations and abrasions
- Internal injuries and nerve damage
- Traumatic amputation of limbs or appendages
- Facial injuries, including loss of eyesight
- Broken bones and orthopedic trauma
This is also only a list of examples of the types of traumas that lead people to seek our help at Rawlins Law. No matter what type of injury you or your loved one suffered, we invite you to contact us today to learn about your rights to seek compensation.
How Rawlins Law Can Help a San Diego Boat Accident Victim
At Rawlins Law, we understand the trauma and life difficulty that follows a boat accident in San Diego. We aim to provide comprehensive legal services to assist our clients through their difficulties and to ensure they have the best possible chance of receiving maximum compensation.
Our team can:
- Investigate boat accidents to determine how they happened and who should bear the blame
- Interact with official accident investigators on the client’s behalf
- Handle all communications with insurance companies and defense lawyers
- Take quick action to secure key evidence proving a client’s boat accident claim
- Answer a client’s questions promptly, clearly, and accurately
- Prepare and pursue insurance claims and lawsuits seeking damages from at-fault parties and their insurers
- Negotiate settlements, when possible, with defense lawyers and insurance companies
- Advise our client about whether to accept or reject a settlement offer
- Go to trial to present a persuasive case to a San Diego judge and jury
- Collect all funds due to our client under the terms of a settlement, judgment, or jury award
Ashley and her team at Rawlins Law also understand that getting hurt in a San Diego boat accident causes significant financial strain. For that reason, Rawlins Law offers a free consultation to anyone who wants to learn about their rights to seek compensation for harm suffered in a boat accident.
Rawlins Law represents accident victims on a contingent fee basis, which means we do not charge a retainer or hourly rates but instead receive a fee only if we secures payment for our injured clients. In other words, Rawlins Law only gets paid if they win for you.
Don’t Battle the Insurance Company Alone
The insurance companies involved in a boat accident will often try to lowball victims to save money. Don’t try to battle them alone. Our experienced boat accident lawyers in San Diego can help you get the compensation you deserve. Our lawyers are experienced in dealing with insurance companies and can help you get the justice you deserve. We will work tirelessly to ensure that you get the highest level of compensation possible.
Protect Your Rights After a San Diego Boat Accident
As the victim of a boat accident in San Diego, you have potentially valuable rights to enforce. But your actions in the wake of your boat mishap can affect those rights and even put them in jeopardy. Following the tips below can help to protect your interests.
Seek Medical Attention
Always seek immediate medical attention after getting hurt in a boat accident in San Diego, even if you feel ok or think your injuries will probably heal on their own. Research has shown that accident victims struggle to assess their own condition in the wake of a traumatic event. What feels like minor aches and pains could, in fact, be a sign of a severe, potentially life-threatening injury.
Getting to a doctor right away will protect your health. It will also safeguard your rights. Seeking medical care generates medical records that a lawyer can use as evidence in your case for damages. And by taking care of yourself, you avoid having insurance companies and defense lawyers blame you for your injuries.
Do Not Trust an Insurance Company’s Quick Settlement Offer
The liability insurance company representing the party at fault for your San Diego boat accident may offer you a quick settlement of your claim. Do not agree to it, and do not sign anything that the insurance company sends you.
Quick settlements almost always pay you only a small fraction of the amount you have the right to receive for your boat accident injuries, and taking them requires you to give up all rights to demand more compensation later. So, instead of entertaining a quick offer, leave all negotiations with an insurance company to a skilled San Diego boat accident lawyer at Rawlins Law, who represents your interests and fights to get you paid the maximum amount available.
Don’t Wait to Seek Legal Help
California law gives you at most two years, and often far less, to take legal action for compensation after getting hurt in a San Diego boating accident. In other words, you have no time to lose in seeking legal help. The sooner you contact an experienced attorney, the better your chances of protecting your rights and securing the money you need to pay your expenses and recover from your trauma.
Contact an Experienced San Diego Boat Accident Lawyer Today
Boat accident injuries can upend your life. But with the help of a skilled personal injury lawyer, you stand a solid chance of receiving the money to cover the costs of your care and your needs in the future.
Ashley Rawlins and her team at Rawlins Law want to help you explore your legal rights to compensation after your San Diego boat accident. Contact them today at (858) 529-5872 for your free consultation
