Personal Watercraft Injuries

During the warmer months, residents of Charlotte and other North Carolina cities make their way to the lakes, rivers, and beaches for fun in the water. These activities may involve the use of personal watercraft.

However, with one mistake or error on these powerful water machines, you or your passengers may experience traumatic and devastating injuries with lifelong effects. Boating accidents are serious, and so are the injuries you may experience because of them. When it comes to personal watercraft, injuries are also, unfortunately, common.

How common are personal watercraft accidents?

According to the United States Coast Guard’s 2022 Recreational Boating Statistics, a personal watercraft is defined as “a vessel propelled by a water-jet pump or other machinery as its primary source of motive power and designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on the vessel, rather than sitting or standing within the vessel’s hull.” The data collected by the Coast Guard’s report found that personal watercraft made up 18 percent of all reported boating accidents and nine percent of all fatal boating accidents. Therefore, personal watercraft accidents are quite common, which is why it is so important to be cautious when operating one.

What are the most common personal watercraft accidents?

The most popular personal watercraft used are jet skis, sea-doos, water ski boats, wave runners, and pontoon boats. Regardless of the type of personal watercraft you are using, you are at risk of being involved in an accident. A few of the most common personal watercraft accidents include:

• Collisions with other personal watercrafts
• Collisions with rocks, piers, docks, and other objects in the water
• Crashing into skiers, tubers, wakeboarders, swimmers and other individuals enjoying the water
• Collisions with boats, ships, bowriders, and other types of vessels

Frequent causes of personal watercraft accidents near Charlotte

Personal watercraft are a lot like motorcycles. Individuals use these watercraft for the thrill, adrenaline, and fun that they bring. They are smaller than regular boats, easy to maneuver, and very fast. Therefore, if a person is inexperienced or does not proceed with caution when operating a personal watercraft, they can create a dangerous situation not only for themselves but also for the passengers onboard. Here are some of the most frequent causes of personal watercraft accidents:

• Speeding: People usually choose to operate personal watercraft because they are known to be fast. Therefore, many individuals get on jet skis, sea-doos, waverunners, and other types of personal watercraft and speed. Unfortunately, this is the quickest way to cause a collision, because your reactions to certain objects in the water significantly reduce when speeding and you are more likely to lose control of the watercraft.
• Drinking or using drugs: Most people use these watercraft for recreational purposes rather than as transportation. Because of their recreational use, it is common for individuals who operate personal watercraft to drink or use drugs before or while doing so. While this may seem harmless, it can actually lead to impaired judgment, reduced reaction times, lack of attentiveness, and inability to solve problems, which can all result in accidents.
• Lack of experience: Most beginners find it simple to operate personal watercraft. However, when a beginner lacks experience and does not proceed cautiously, they are more prone to accidents. This is because they do not know how to make certain maneuvers and are unaware of how to avoid losing control of the watercraft.
• Reckless or careless mistakes: Some individuals get on ski-doos, waverunners, or jet skis and do not take other people’s safety into consideration. Therefore, they may make reckless or careless mistakes or even decide to ignore certain rules or regulations put in place to keep everyone in the water safe. When this happens, swimmers, boat operators, tubers, and other individuals in or near the water are at risk of a serious accident.
• Mechanical issues or defects: Another common cause of personal watercraft accidents is mechanical issues or defects. These issues tend to happen when a rental company or watercraft owner fails to inspect, repair, and maintain the personal watercraft. In addition, if a manufacturer sold the owner or rental company a personal watercraft that was defective, this could result in dangerous and deadly accidents.

Who can be held liable for a personal watercraft injury?

Determining liability for a personal watercraft injury can be challenging. Each person’s case is unique, meaning that the liable party for another person’s personal watercraft accident may be completely different from the liable party in yours. It is also not uncommon for multiple parties to share liability for these types of accidents. That is why a Charlotte personal injury lawyer can help you uncover the facts of your accident as well as determine who may be held liable for your damages. These are some of the parties that your lawyer may look at when determining liability:

• The operator of the personal watercraft
• An operator of another personal watercraft, boat, or another type of vessel
• A swimmer, water skier, wakeboarder, tuber, or another person in or near the water
• The manufacturer of the personal watercraft or another vessel involved in the accident
• A mechanic who was responsible for repairing the personal watercraft or another vessel involved in the accident
• A rental company
• The owner of the personal watercraft or another vessel

Have you recently been involved in a personal watercraft accident due to another person’s negligence? If so, the Charlotte personal injury attorneys from Price, Petho & Associates can help you navigate the legal process and protect your rights. We are an experienced legal team committed to assisting those who have been hurt because of someone’s careless or reckless actions. Please call our office or submit our contact form to schedule a free case review to begin discussing your case and learning how we can help you obtain the financial recovery you need today. Our offices are located in Charlotte, Rockingham, and Rutherfordton for your convenience.