Jacksonville Injury Attorney Blog

Four boaters on Florida's West coast are relieved to have avoided serious injuries after their 23-foot boat overturned. The boat flipped after striking a sandy beach jutting out into the Intracoastal Waterway.

Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the boat about 20 feet up on the beach. The passengers dug themselves out from under the boat, and were able to free a child who was trapped underneath. The boy was taken to the hospital as a precaution, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A similar occurence happened just south of Jacksonville recently on Black Creek, when a man operating a small boat lost control and struck trees coming out from the bank. One person died in that accident.

Boaters should be aware of the dangers of running aground, or striking objects, especially at night. Hitting a sandbar at even a slow speed can cause a serious boating accident, since boats have no seatbelts and passengers can easily be ejected. Jacksonville boaters should pay particular attention to the unpredictable terrain in the St. Johns River and the Intracoastal Waterway, where there are many sandbars and hidden shallow areas.

Making sure your boat has working lights and slowing down in uncertain areas can help boaters avoid accidents. Taking a boating saftety course, like the one available through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, is another way to avoid a mishap.

Written by Elizabeth Allen

Continue reading "Boaters Avoid Serious Injury after Running Aground" »

Yesterday, a boating accident occured on Black Creek in Clay County, Florida, when the operator of the boat left the boat's steering and throttle controls to pump the boat's fuel bulb. The boat struck a tree or tree limb which was several feet above the water near the shore of the creek.

Two teenagers, both from Middleburg, died at the scene from what has been reported to be blunt force trauma to the head. The operator of the boat, a 49 year old man, was taken to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating this boating accident.

It seems that every year we have a boating accident with one or more fatalities in the Jacksonville area. Jacksonville is an area with a lot of waterways and a lot of boats on the water. As it stands, in the State of Florida only persons born after January 1, 1988, are required to obtain a Boating Safety Education Id card. To obtain the card requires attending a boating safety course. The operator in this boat accident was born before that time and, thus, was not required to obtain the license.

Another tragic boating accident happened in April of 2009 on the Intracoastal Waterway in the Ponte Vedra area, in which there were multiple fatalities. The boat involved in that accident struck a residential dock. The operator of that boat was a woman in her early 40's that had little or no boating experience. Despite her lack of experience, because of her age, she was exempt from the safety course requirement.

The age limit for requiring the safety course is arbitrary and does not reflect on a person's knowledge of boating safety. Perhaps it is time for the State of Florida to require all persons operating a boat to complete a boating safety course.

Continue reading "Two Teens Killed in Boating Accident in Clay County" »

With the warm weather, our local waterways have once again become crowded with boaters. Unfortunately, every spring and summer, we also see an increase in boating accidents. Sunday night a small motorboat crashed into the Cesery Boulevard Bridge in Jacksonville, totalling the boat. Surprisingly, no personal injuries were reported.

Witnesses say the driver of the boat was pulled from the water by people in a nearby fishing boat. The driver was then taken to shore and left the area. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating.

Given that the driver of the boat left the scene, it seems that alcohol may have played a factor in this boating accident. For some reason, some boaters think it is acceptable to operate a boat while intoxicated. The results of doing so can be tragic. Just last April, five people died in an accident in the Palm Valley area of Ponte Vedra. That accident involved an overloaded boat with numerous intoxicated passengers and an inexperienced driver operating the boat.

Continue reading "Boat Crashes Into Jacksonville Bridge" »

A sailor from Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base died in a boating accident this weekend on the St. Marys River. The St. Mary's River forms the border between Florida and Georgia just north of Jacksonville.

The victim was with seven other people on a 20-foot recreational power boat when he fell off of the boat at about 4 p.m.
He was at the front of the vessel, which apparently had been traveling about 15-20 mph when he fell into the river. Unfortunately, he was not wearing a life preserver.

As Jacksonville boat accident lawyers, we see serious personal injury and wrongful death result far too often from boat accidents. Because it is easy to fall out of a boat or to be thrown from a boat if it strikes another object, it is imperative to wear a life preserver when boating. Even good swimmers should do so as a collision may render a person unable to swim either by injury or lack of consciousness.

Continue reading "Boating Accident on St. Mary's River at the Florida Georgia Border Claims Another Life" »

Here in the Jacksonville area and Southeast Georgia, we have a lot of beautiful waterways for boating. However, that beauty can be easily spoiled when a boating accident occurrs.

Unfortunately, this weekend another such example took place. One person was killed and two others survived after a 23-foot boat rammed into the jetties at Jekyll Creek south of Brunswick Sunday. The cause of the accident is under investigation by the Georgia authorities.

As injury attorneys in Jacksonville, we see numerous boating related personal injuries. Often such injuries result from the driver of the boat striking a dock, another boat, or an underwater structure such as a jetty or shoal. Drinking is commonly involved in boating accidents.

Continue reading "Another Boating Accident Claims a Life" »

Throughout Jacksonville's waterways, the Coast Guard, the Florida Wildlife Commission, and the sheriffs for Clay County, Duval County, St. Johns County and Nassau County will be on the lookout for boating safety issues this weekend. The Fourth of July weekend presents a very busy time for boats on our local waterways which results in an increased risk for boating accidents and personal injuries.

Wearing a life jacket the entire time while boating is recommended. Just like a car accident, boating accidents come with very little warning. Since boats don't have seatbelts, an accident can easily throw a person into the water. With strong currents and the possibility of injury or unconsciousness from the accident, being thrown from a boat can easily cause drowning.

Unfortunately, some of the boaters will operate their vessels under the influence of alcohol. Operating a boat while drunk causes many of our worst boating accidents. Every year in Florida, and Jacksonville, we see significant injuries and death from boating accidents. Earlier this year 5 people were killed and many others seriously injured when a twenty-two foot boat carrying fourteen people crashed into a barge parked on the side of the intracoastal waterway in St. Johns county.

Continue reading "Jacksonville Area Officials Concerned About Boat Accidents over the Fourth of July Weekend" »