The Coast Guard’s report confirmed that Florida had the most dangerous waterways, as they were the scene of nearly 700 boat and jet ski accidents last year. In fact, Florida’s waterways were more than twice as dangerous as California, the next ranked stated. Florida had 679 boating accidents which resulted in 55 wrongful deaths. The property damage from those accidents was almost ten million dollars. And while the number of accidents and personal injuries rose by two percent from the prior year, fatalities actually dropped by the same amount.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife report, Monroe County was followed by Miami-Dade in the greatest number of accidents. The Keys had ninety boat accidents with six deaths. Miami Dade had seventy-three accidents with two deaths. Due to the number of locals and tourists enjoying the Keys to fish and dive, it is not surprising that that destination is the most dangerous.

Unfortunately, those enjoying a day on the water tend to also enjoy drinking alcohol, because the Coast Guard found that alcohol was the main factor in every boat accident last year. Alcohol use was also a significant factor in almost twenty-five percent of all fatal boating accidents. The other contributing factors to boating accidents were operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience and excessive speed. Much of the operator error could be avoided if self-proclaimed boat captains received formal boating instruction and certifications. Education is necessary as seventy percent of boating accident resulting in a death had a captain/operator who did not receive any formal boating safety instruction.

And incredibly, but sadly not surprisingly, nearly ninety percent of the victims who lost their lives were not wearing life jackets. This is a glaring statistic because nearly eighty percent of boating accident related deaths were due to drowning. Just like a passenger in a car needing to wear a seat-belt, “It’s critical for boaters to wear a life jacket at all times because it very likely will save your life,” said Capt. Scott Johnson, chief of the Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety. In hopes of educating the public about the clear importance of life vest use, the Coast Guard in cooperation with the National Safe Boating Council launched a statewide boating safety campaign called “Wear it Florida.” The campaign encourages boaters to always wear a life jacket whenever they are on the water.

Interestingly, eight of every ten drownings involved a person who was operating or riding upon a vessel less than 21 feet in length. Open motorboats were involved in the greatest number of deadly accidents with kayaks and personal watercraft a distant second and third. The need for proper instruction and supervision is critically important for tourist use of personal watercraft, as nearly half of all personal watercraft accident involved a rented vessel.

With nearly 1 million registered vessels across the State of Florida, boating is an ever increasingly way for residents and tourists to spend their time and to enjoy some outdoor social distancing. Due to the number of vessels on our waterways, Miami boat accident lawyer Joseph Lipsky reminds all boaters to use due care, not to drink or use drugs while operating a vessel and to make sure all those on their vessel are using a proper fitting and coast guard approved life jacket.

While most people consider the Florida Keys as the boating accident leader, Miami Dade County sadly actually had double the amount of boating accident wrongful deaths than the Keys, making Miami Dade as the deadliest of Florida’s sixty-seven counties, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The study analyzed all “reportable” boating accidents which resulted in wrongful death, personal injury or over two thousand dollars of property damage, which actually dropped by over 15% of the past year. Yet, despite the drop of such accidents, there was actually a 20% increase in Florida’s boating accident which resulted in wrongful death over the same time period.

As the number of boaters on the waterways increases annually, because of the easy access we have to boating, Miami-Dade had almost 80 boating accidents. Considering there are more registered boats in Florida, than any other state, the number of serious boating accidents is not surprising.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation study also found that: May was the month with the most boating accidents; once an on-water accident happens, drowning becomes the leading cause of wrongful deaths; Alcohol and/or illegal drug use played a role in over 10 percent of wrongful death accidents.

As we enter the summer, and more people pursue boating for fun, fishing and diving, Miami personal injury lawyer Joseph Lipsky reminds all boaters to be safe, make sure they bring enough life vests for everyone on their boat and not to drink and driver.

Considering we are entering the Summer season, in which many Miami residents take to the bay for a day of skiing or diving, the authorities hope, and we suggest, that boaters take the appropriate actions to avoid being in a boating accident. While failing to pay attention, or having a proper lookout is the usual reason for a boat accident, driving under the influence and drowning are two of the most preventable activities. Particularly with children, the use of a life vest is not only mandatory, but good common sense.

Some of the other boating behavior to be avoided according to the Coast Guard include:

– Failing to slow down in areas where boating activity is heavy; – Driving at high speed in poor conditions; – Pulling a water skier in a congested area – Driving in an area where people are swimming; – Failing to check the weather forecast before heading out for the day;

Florida Keys boating accident attorney Joseph Lipsky reminds his fellow conchs to be careful on the water, as a moment of carelessness can result in a lifetime of suffering.

The findings, reported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, revealed that 77 people suffered wrongful deaths on Florida waters in 2007. Apparently the vast majority of all boating accidents occurred with operators who had no safety training.

Thankfully, the State has finally approved plans to increase mandatory boater education requirements over the next decade. The hope is that this increased training will reduce fatalities by as much as 25 percent; we certainly share the State’s hope.

Dradine Knowles of Lauderhill, a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale, apparently lost control of her car a couple of miles south of Hollywood Boulevard. According the the Florida Highway Patrol, the 2006 Chevy HHR smashed through the concrete barrier wall, which divided north and southbound traffic, and then went into oncoming northbound traffic, when it collided with the truck.

We can only assume was another case of failing to use a seat belt, both the car’s driver and passenger were ejected into the street. We again stress to all drivers that the consequences of not using seat belts and child car seats are unfortunately deadly.

Considering the number Jet Ski operators in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties who are untrained and inexperienced, we, unfortunately, expect these types of accidents resulting in wrongful deaths to continue. As such, it is not surprising that Miami-Dade and Broward Counties dubiously rank in the top ten Florida Counties for such boating accidents.

Currently there are no mandatory training requirements for Jet Ski operators in Florida. In fact, Florida Law allows anyone over the age of 14 to operate one of these personal water crafts, some of which reach speeds of greater than 30 m.p.h., without any adult supervision. Sadly, many victims learn too late that these vessels usually will not respond or turn if the throttle is not engaged.

In our practice we have representing a number of unfortunate families who endured the catastrophic injury and death of a loved one at the hands of such untrained operators. Given the frequency and severity of these type of accidents, we remind everyone to be particularly aware of Jet Skis, and to use the utmost care while operating them.