BOATING ACCIDENTS OFF THE FLORIDA COAST

SIXTEEN PEOPLE MISSING OFF FLORIDA COAST – BOATING ACCIDENTS

Florida Coast: Two separate boating accidents off the Florida coast set the U.S. Coast Guard into action this past Friday. The U.S. Coast Guard deployed a 45-foot rescue vessel, three cutter ships, and an HC-130 Hercules airplane to the the area where a boat capsized 200 miles east of Fort Pierce after leaving Bimini in the Bahamas.  Sixteen people remain missing despite air and sea rescue efforts.

The other search was also launched on Friday for 10 people that went missing off the coast of Key West after leaving Cuba in a “6-foot makeshift vessel.  Coast Guard officials are unable to determine the whereabouts of a make-shift craft that set sail from Cuba with about ten people on board last Sunday. The search planes and boats searching an area 80 miles off the Havana coast have been unable to find the raft.

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FLORIDA TEENAGER BATTLES TO RECOVER THE ABILITY TO WALK AFTER A BOATING ACCIDENT

Last December, nineteen-year-old Jose Castro suffered crippling personal injury and nearly drowned when he fell off a boat in Boca Raton. Meanwhile, Castro struggles to regain the ability to walk at Broward Health Medical Center, where he’s been recovering since falling into shallow waters and injuring his spinal cord.

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ETHAN’S LAW TO BE INTRODUCED IN HONOR OF BOATING ACCIDENT VICTIM

A State representative is set to introduce a new law following the wrongful death of a 10-year-old passenger killed in a boating accident last November. Ethan Isaacs died when run into by another boat during sailing practice. The incident, which occurred when the operator of the boat that struck Isaacs, lost control of his vessel. Two other youngsters were injured in the boating accident. The new law, in honor of Isaacs tragedy, requires motorboat operators to have an engine safety cutoff mechanism installed on vessels 26 feet and under.

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South Florida is popular for its waterways, with the bays and shores most often overcrowded with commercial vessels, cruise ships, recreational boats, jet skis, surfers, and more. The end result of this aquatic recreational trend is an ever-growing number of boating accident cases with many of them involving serious personal injury or even death. Close to 100 boating related accidents have been reported since 2015, 75% of these boating accidents resulting in personal injury and wrongful death.

There are certain rules and regulations for individuals that own or operate boats in Florida waterways and off Miami shores. Nevertheless, these laws don’t always keep accidents from happening, and when they do, there is usually serious personal injury involve that requires professional counsel. If any of these laws are violated and accidents ensue, victims may be entitled to receive compensation for their injuries or losses, which our personal injury attorney will strive to secure.

Florida law requires that individuals under the age of 21 must take an approved boating safety course and be awarded a boating safety ID card to operate a boat with 10 horsepower or more. They must also carry the ID card and a photo ID issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

SEE BOATING ACCIDENTS

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