Estero Jet Ski Accident Lawyer
Jet skis are like motorcycles that are not subject to any safety laws. Most operators don’t have to wear helmets and they have little or no experience operating such a powerful machine that’s so hard to control.
When jet ski riders fall off their watercraft and sustain serious injuries, many insurance companies use these facts to blame riders for their own injuries. However, as outlined below, this tactic often doesn’t hold up in court and compensation is still available.
This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. An Estero jet ski accident lawyer from Cardinal Law can obtain additional punitive damages as well, in some extreme cases. Generally, these personal injury matters are settled out of court, and on victim-friendly terms.
Jet Ski Injuries
We compared jet skis to motorcycles above. This comparison is not entirely accurate. Compared to jet skis, motorcycles are easy to control. Motorcycles have tires that grip the road and brakes. In contrast, jet skis, which float on water, are hard to steer and impossible to stop.
As a result, jet ski accidents are common. When riders fall off jet skis, they often sustain serious injuries, like:
- Nerve Injuries: When falling riders hit the water’s surface, the impact often damages nerves in the brachial plexus bundle. Such nerve injuries usually permanently paralyze face and arm muscles.
- Internal Injuries: Frequently, falling victims skip across the water, like a stone skipping across a lake. This excessive, violent motion causes internal organs to smash against each other. The resulting cuts and abrasions usually bleed very badly. Internal organs have no protective skin layers to contain such bleeding.
- Head Injuries: The motion of a jet ski accident also causes the brain to hit the skull. That impact usually causes not only brain bleeding, but also brain swelling. The resulting tissue damage is usually permanent. Dead brain cells don’t regenerate. At best, physical therapists can train uninjured parts of the brain to partially assume lost functions.
Two-person jet skis are increasingly popular in Florida. These vehicles are much larger than single-rider jet skis, meaning that accident injuries are even worse.
Injured passengers have the same rights as injured operators. Both victims need and deserve the compensation outlined above. In this sense, a civil action does not “blame” anyone for anything. Instead, a civil case compensates victims and forces tortfeasors (negligent operators) to face the music when they make mistakes.
Liability Issues for an Estero Jet Ski Accident Lawyer
Florida is a pure comparative fault state. Therefore, even if the victim was mostly responsible for a wreck, perhaps because s/he was speeding excessively or operating while drunk, some compensation is still available in most cases, especially if the victim rented the jet ski from another party.
Operators have a duty of care, as do jet ski owners. This duty requires them to properly maintain the craft they own and be selective about who uses it.
Jet skis take a lot of punishment, particularly since most people push the envelope when they ride jet skis. A failure to properly maintain a used jet ski is essentially selling a customer a product with a manufacturing or design defect.
Furthermore, the negligent entrustment rule often applies in these cases. If the owner knowingly allowed an incompetent person to operate his/her property, an Estero jet ski accident lawyer can hold the owner financially responsible for damages in court.
Contact a Diligent Lee County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced Estero jet ski accident lawyer, contact Cardinal Law, P.A. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.
