Thousands of people take their boats out on the water every summer in Nashville. When you’re enjoying the sun on your face and the feeling of the wind while you cruise along, the last thing you may be thinking about is a boat accident. However, serious accidents occur when people fail to practice proper safety. Deadly collisions with objects or other vessels can result when someone inexperienced, unlicensed, or intoxicated is navigating the vehicle. Boating injuries or even fatalities can happen due to crashes or slip-and-fall accidents on the deck.
If another person’s negligence caused your injuries, you might have a lawsuit against the boat operator or other parties. When you are dealing with injuries or other losses, the legal system can feel complex. When you hire our team of dedicated personal injury attorneys at Ponce Law, you can prioritize your recovery while our legal team takes on the hard work for you. Our firm has been around for a long time, and we know how to aggressively pursue justice on your behalf. Your Nashville boat accident lawyer can focus on collecting evidence, communicating with insurance companies, and reaching out to experts on your behalf while you focus on healing.
Although every case is different, some situations happen more often than others. Some of them include:
Alcohol can often be a contributing factor. Boating under the influence is a serious charge. It is important to remember that boat drivers can be held accountable just like motorists on the ground, such as car drivers or truck drivers. However, boating accidents can occur due to other circumstances. Sometimes, the boat driver is merely distracted for a moment, or one of the boats does not have any lights. Sometimes, the driver is inexperienced or speeding. Boat drivers have a duty to be responsible and should be held accountable when they cause harm. A skilled Nashville attorney can help you hold negligent boaters accountable when you are involved in a wreck because of their misconduct.
There are various paths to compensation for a boating accident victim. Claims can be resolved by settling with an insurance company or in court. Sometimes, settlement is the best option, and sometimes, it is better to appear before a judge and jury. Insurance companies do not want to pay you the full amount you deserve and often provide inadequate settlement offers or completely refuse to pay. Having clear and convincing evidence to show the other party is liable for your losses can make all the difference in court. Evidence can include many things, such as expert testimony, photos and videos of the scene, and police reports. It is wise to hire an experienced lawyer in Nashville who can get the best result possible for your boat accident claim.
Financial remedies can be in the form of economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are monetary losses that you suffered from the accident. Non-economic damages pertain to losses that are non-monetary and more subjective. Some examples of economic and non-economic damages include:
When a plaintiff in any state brings forth a lawsuit, the statute of limitations must be met. The statute of limitations is a law setting a time limit on when someone can sue regarding a certain issue. There is a statute of limitations of just one year from the date of injury in Tennessee, one of the shortest in the country. If a plaintiff misses the time period allotted to their type of case, they could lose the chance to seek compensation. That is why hiring an attorney familiar with the local laws affecting your boat accident claim in Nashville is so important.
One of the most important things for a successful lawsuit is proving that the other party was negligent, or in other words, failed to take mandatory, proper care. The person filing the lawsuit bears the burden of proof to show that the responsible party caused the accident through their negligence. To prove negligence, the plaintiff must prove four factors:
A seasoned legal professional at Ponce Law can help you prove that the at-fault party was negligent in your boating crash case.
When you have suffered from a boating accident, you have several legal options to hold the other party accountable. Boating laws can be difficult to understand. The legal system can be tricky. Deciding to settle with an insurance company or to appear before a judge and jury can be even trickier. You need to have an experienced legal professional by your side to come up with a winning strategy for your case. Reach out to a Nashville boat accident lawyer at our firm today for assistance.
