New Jersey Boat and Watercraft Accident Lawyers

New Jersey’s coastline extends over 130 miles and currently has over 170,000 registered boats. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, there are over 100 Boat and Watercraft Accidents every year in New Jersey. Because occupants of boats are usually not restrained, boating accidents can have serious consequences especially if a boat capsizes, collides with an object affixed or floating in the water, a mishap with a water skier, strikes a submerged object or unexpectedly runs aground.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard statistics for 2014:

• There were 4,064 reported boating accidents that killed 610 people and injured 2,678.
• Of the 610 fatalities, 255 involved boat operators who had no formal instructions on how to operate the boats.
• That year in New Jersey there were 111 reported accidents causing three deaths and 77 injuries. The state had one the lowest fatality rates for boaters in the country.

The Coast Guard reports that the most common, major contributing factors to 2014 boating accidents were:

• Operator inattention
• Improper lookout
• Operator inexperience
• Excessive speed
• Alcohol use
• Machinery failure (mostly engine failure)
• Navigation rules violation.

Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.