With its many miles of rivers, lakes and beautiful coastline, Florida has a lot to offer people who enjoy recreation on the water. But possibly for the same reasons, Florida routinely has the most recreational boating accidents of any state. According to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida saw 54 fatalities and 386 injuries in 2008, most often from falls overboard, capsizing and collisions with other vessels. No agency keeps reliable statistics on cruise ship accidents, but these can also be very serious, and may go unreported and unpunished by cruise lines eager to sweep any negative publicity under the rug.

Like drivers, the pilots of recreational watercraft -- including sailboats, motorboats, yachts and JetSkis/personal watercraft -- have a responsibility to take reasonable care in public waterways. That includes observing all safety, lane and speed rules, watching where they’re going and never boating under the influence of alcohol. Unfortunately, some boaters ignore these rules -- and the result can be a crash that causes drowning, physical trauma or other preventable injuries. According to FWC statistics, boat operators involved in fatal accidents have various ages and levels of experience, but the vast majority have never completed a boating safety course. And the 2008 data shows that the leading cause of fatal accidents was alcohol use.

Cruise lines use Florida as their jumping-off point so often that many of them actually require lawsuits to be brought in Florida. These huge ships are often compared to floating cities -- but unlike a real city, they have no police force and are run by a private company concerned about protecting its own interests. In fact, because cruise ships are typically not American vessels, they have little incentive to comply with American law. That means their safety measures may be inadequate, and when accidents happen, they can sharply limit their accountability in the civil courts. Our Miami cruise ship accident attorneys aggressively represent clients who were injured by slip and fall accidents, fires, incidents during shore excursions or even violent crime during a cruise.

If you were seriously hurt in a Florida boating accident or a cruise ship accident, Balliro can help. Boating and cruise ship accidents can cause very serious injuries, including death and permanent disability. Furthermore, these victims often find that they’re also struggling with serious financial problems, thanks to the double whammy of high medical bills and unplanned time away from work. Our Fort Lauderdale boating accident lawyers help clients claim full compensation for these injuries, including payment of all past and future medical bills and lost income as well as compensation for their injuries and pain.

Balliro  offers free, confidential consultations to all potential clients. If you’d like to discuss your case, for no fee and no obligation, with an experienced Miami boating accident lawyer, please contact us through our Web site or call us toll-free at 1-866-INJURED from anywhere within Florida.