With year-round access to the water, South Florida sees a high number of boating accidents — and if you were hurt on the water, you need a Florida boating accident lawyer who understands both how these crashes happen and how complicated the law behind them can be. Many of these accidents are caused by inexperienced or reckless operators, and the injuries they leave behind can be life-altering.
Attorney Tyson Kutner represents people seriously injured in boating accidents throughout Miami-Dade, Key Biscayne, and the Florida Keys. From our Palmetto Bay office, we hold negligent operators and owners accountable and pursue the full compensation injured boaters deserve.
Common causes of boating accidents
South Florida’s busy waterways put a lot of vessels in close quarters, and many boating accidents trace back to operator error. Some of the most common causes we see include:
- Inexperienced or reckless operators who do not know the rules of the water
- Excessive speed that leaves no time to react
- Dangerous wakes that throw passengers or swamp smaller boats
- Overcrowding that affects a vessel’s balance and the operator’s control
- Boating under the influence (BUI) — operating a boat while impaired is illegal in Florida and a frequent factor in serious accidents
Why boating accident cases are complex
A boat accident claim is rarely as straightforward as a car-crash case. Depending on where the accident happened and how it occurred, your case may be governed by a mix of Florida law and federal maritime law. That distinction is not just academic — it can change which rules apply and, critically, which deadlines control your case.
Because the applicable deadline can vary from one boating case to the next, waiting to sort it out on your own is risky. The safest course is to consult a boating accident attorney promptly so the right rules and timelines are identified before any deadline slips away.
Who can be held liable
One of the most important parts of any boating accident claim is identifying everyone who shares responsibility, because each one may carry separate insurance coverage. Liability is not limited to whoever was steering the boat. Depending on the facts, responsible parties can include:
- The boat operator whose negligence caused the accident
- The boat owner, who may bear responsibility for who was allowed to operate the vessel
- A rental company that put an unsafe boat or unqualified renter on the water
- A charter company or other party connected to the trip
As your boat accident lawyer, we investigate the full chain of responsibility so no available source of recovery is overlooked.
Boating accident injuries
The forces involved in a boating accident — and the obvious danger of being on open water — make these crashes especially severe. Common boating accident injuries include:
- Drowning and near-drowning
- Propeller injuries, which can cause deep lacerations and permanent damage
- Blunt-force trauma
- Broken bones
- Spinal injuries
When negligence causes harm like this, the law allows injured boaters to pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering — and we build every case to reflect the full extent of that harm.
What to do after a boating accident
The steps you take after a boat accident can protect both your health and your claim:
- Get medical care right away — some serious injuries are not obvious in the moment.
- Know that the operator has legal duties — under Florida law, operators must stop and render aid and must report certain accidents to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
- Document what you can — gather the names of those involved and any witnesses, and photograph the scene and the vessels if it is safe to do so.
- Contact a boating accident lawyer promptly — both to preserve evidence and to make sure the deadlines that apply to your case are identified in time.
Serving South Florida
From our office in Palmetto Bay, Florida boating accident lawyer Tyson Kutner represents injured boaters across Miami-Dade County — from Key Biscayne and the waterfront communities of South Miami-Dade down through the Florida Keys. In a region where so much of life happens on the water, we understand the waterways where these accidents occur and what it takes to hold negligent operators and owners accountable.
If you or a loved one was injured in a boating accident, contact Kutner Personal Injury for a free, no-obligation consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.
In the news
Kutner Personal Injury, with co-counsel Goldberg & Rosen, P.A., has filed suit after a Sea-Doo Switch personal-watercraft accident left an 18-month-old child catastrophically injured. Read about the Sea-Doo Switch lawsuit → (Allegations have not been proven in court.)
