Washington Boat Accident Lawyer

Serving throughout the state of washington

Has a Washington state boating accident left you severely injured? Was the accident the other boater’s fault? If so, you may be due compensation for the injuries you’ve sustained. At Steven Defoe Law Office, we’ve helped Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco residents who’ve been injured in tragic boating accidents that weren’t their fault. We’d be happy to help you too. Let us start by providing you with some important information about boating and boat accident claims.

For example, did you know that if your accident occurred on the Columbia River, maritime law applies and the case is handled in federal law? If the accident occurred on the Yakima River, state law applies. This can significantly affect your ability to recover damages.

Boating Basics

More than 250,000 boats were registered in Washington state during 2005. As a result, the state’s waterways can be crowded with inexperienced, inattentive boat operators, making the risk for an accident inevitable. 

As with a car accident, it’s helpful to keep documentation relating to your boating accident in a convenient location. Items that may be helpful to your claim include the boating accident report, receipts from boat repair work and medical care, photographs of the damage to your boat, where the accident happened, and the injuries you and any other passengers sustained. Also, if you haven’t already done so, try to get the names and contact information of anyone who may have witnessed the accident. Contacting these people as your claim develops may be helpful, as witnesses can attest to the carelessness of the other boater.

Another note of importance is to be careful of speaking to insurance adjustors. Often an adjustor with the other boater’s insurance provider will contact the other party to get a statement or have him or her sign a release. If someone contacts you for something similar, know that you don’t have to talk to the adjustor nor do you have to sign a release. In fact, it’s best to contact an attorney before doing either to be sure that you don’t sign away any rights or hurt your claim.

If the accident occurred on the Columbia River and the insurance company wants to pay for the damages to your watercraft, do not sign any release or other documents without speaking with a maritime lawyer first, as this may adversely affect your ability to recover for your personal injury damages.

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