9.20.2020

How Do Virginia Beach Boating Accidents Happen?

Written by: Virginia Beach Injury Law

There were over 4,000 recreational boating accidents in 2019 as reported by the U.S. Coast Guard. These recreational boating accidents resulted in 613 lives lost and more than 2,500 people injured. Boating accidents not only lead to major injuries and death, but they are also very costly. In 2019 the cost of damage to property from recreational boating accidents was $55 million dollars. According to the statistics, the number of recreational boating accidents is on the rise, as 2019 had a .6% increase from the previous year. Often times, when a recreational boating accident happens, and death results, the cause is drowning.

It is important when you are out on the water to operate your boat responsibly and safely, it is helpful to be confident in your swimming abilities, and having a life jacket on can increase your chances of surviving a boating accident. When recreational boating accidents took place across the country in 2019 79% of the deaths were from drowning and 86% of those lives lost were not wearing a life jacket. Further, it could be concluded that many of these fatal recreational boating accidents could have been avoided because the leading cause of the accidents was related to alcohol use. Similar to drinking and driving, drinking and boating is very dangerous.

When a person drinks every aspect of the body and mind becomes impaired. Some of the negative ways that alcohol affects the human body include poor judgment, decreased attention, reduced visibility, and slowed reaction time to name a few. When you have been in a Virginia Beach recreational boating accident that was caused by the negligence of another party connect with Virginia Beach Injury Law to ensure you see your full legal justice.

What are the Leading Causes of Virginia Beach Recreational Boating Accidents?

In Virginia, boating while under the influence of alcohol is unlawful. In fact, any controlled substance, drug, or combination of alcohol and drugs makes it illegal to operate a boat. Like drunk driving, when a boater has a Blood Alcohol Concentration of .08 or higher, they are considered legally drunk. Drinking and boating is a top cause of all boating accidents and many times when alcohol causes a recreational boating accident, the results are deadly.

In addition to alcohol use, improper or lack of boating safety instruction was a factor in many of the fatal recreational boating accidents. Of all the fatal boating accidents that have taken place across the country, where instruction was known, 70% of the accidents that resulted in lives lost were on boats where the operator lacked sufficient boating safety instruction. In 2007, the Virginia General Assembly established a law that was fully implemented by 2016 making it mandatory that all operators of Personal Watercrafts and motorboats that have a 10 hp or greater motor complete a qualified boating safety education course.

Speak with a Virginia Beach Boating Accident Attorney Today

Other factors that are commonly linked to boating accidents included inattention, speed, inexperience, and improper lookout. Anything can go wrong when you are on a boat, and if you were injured in a Chesapeake boating accident from the negligence of another party, call Virginia Beach Injury Law to speak with an experienced Virginia Beach personal injury attorney during a free consultation. You can call Virginia Beach Injury Law today to schedule your free consultation with a Norfolk personal injury attorney at (757) 802-4662.

Share This Story

Interested in Virginia Beach injury law and found this article helpful? Share on your socials to help others find local, reliable information!

Do You Have a Case?

Whether you're local or a vacationer, If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in the Virginia Beach area or Hampton Roads, contact us today to discuss your case:

I Want To...
uploadmagnifiercrossmenu linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram