Injury on a Private Yacht

There isn’t one person alive today who would pass up the chance to rub elbows with the rich and famous. No one would deny the opportunity to be out on the open ocean, on a private yacht no less, enjoying the sun, fun and festivities that a private luxury watercraft have to offer. When there is a mixture of high-end fun, there can also be the combination of high-end tragedy as well. We are going to be talking today about high-jinx on the open ocean in a yacht (American waters). No one is implicated unless proven otherwise, and if anything, let this tale be a cautionary one for anyone who is responsible for causing a guest to be injured on a private yacht. This advice applies to anyone who is injured on a yacht, owns a yacht or has rented a yacht.

Boating Incidents are Common

In 2020, the U.S. Coast Guard counted over 5,200 recreational boating accidents. These accidents involved over 700 deaths and over 3,000 injuries. This is a substantial number of accidents. According to the Coast Guard, there was a 25% increase in the fatality rate when compared to the previous year.

Initiating a Lawsuit When Injured on a Yacht

The rules of the ocean apply to everyone equally in our country and on all navigable waters. That being said, if you are injured on a yacht, there are no complications as to whether you have the full right to bring a lawsuit on the merits, as related to your injury, damages and losses. But let’s start at the beginning. If you are injured on a yacht, you are entitled to recover for any injury, damages or loss that you incur while on that seaworthy vessel. You are not denied your status because you are not a yacht owner, and you are also not denied recovery and compensation for your injury because you are not a person of privilege. Let’s be clear about this. Unless you are an unintended stowaway on a yacht, and have no idea how you got there, then you are owed recovery compensation for your injuries if injured on a yacht. Now, we can proceed to discuss this rather sensitive issue of being injured on a yacht.

Yacht Injuries Are Not Rare

As it turns out, yachts are fun places to have a party, and they are equally as likely to have people mixing alcohol, illegal drugs or other mood enhancers to increase the joy. Remember, a yacht is just a boat, albeit a rather pricey boat, but it is nevertheless just a boat. A person can be injured on a yacht and suffer:

• Cuts and scrapes
• Sprains and strains
• Concussions and brain injuries
• Fractured and broken bones
• Dislocation of joints
• Amputation of limbs
• Burns
• Internal organ injuries

How Can You Be Injured on a Yacht?

Injuries on a yacht can occur at any time. Often yachts have step ups and step downs to get into galleys or salon areas, which make for immediate tripping hazards. The flooring of a yacht may be highly polished wood, which can be slippery to wet feet on guests who have just gone swimming in the ocean. The lower levels of a yacht are accessed with a set of narrow stairs, which may or may not be carpeted. These can be hazardous when accessed at night, or after a few cocktails. The shower areas may be made of Italian marble, which is luxurious to behold, but a highly slick surface with any amount of applied moisture from a wet body stepping out of the tub or shower enclosure. The back deck area of the yacht has a lowered deck area to access the jet ski into the water, or swim off of the platform. Even though these areas sport grooved deck surfaces, the deck itself is only inches off of the ocean, and people can misjudge this lift to fall into the water. You might be asking yourself “Can I sue?” and the answer is “Yes, we can sue” when you work with an experienced attorney who knows how to handle your case when you are injured on a yacht.

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Horseplay by Guests on a Yacht

People who jump from a yacht may have the intention to swan dive to impress their friends, but one small slip can send them careening backwards into the hard plexiglass surface of the deck of the yacht. Jumping from a yacht on the upper decks is ill-advised, but it has been attempted, usually with dire results. When a person engages in horseplay on a yacht, that individual and others can unintentionally be injured as well. And all of these hazards are already imminent, even in the finest of weather. Once there is rough weather, high seas, rogue waves, unexpected storms or gale force winds – then the opportunity for an injury is multiplied indeed.

Crew or No Crew, Who Is Responsible for the Moorings?

Every yacht will be moored or come into a port at some point in the journey. If there is a crew, these individuals are assumed to know how to secure the vessel safely to the area of the harbor where it docks. Many accidents can occur if these knots, ropes or stations are not secured in the proper manner. People can easily fall between a yacht and the mooring area, and literally “slip” into the slip. This is dangerous because anyone falling next to the yacht on the land side can be crushed by the natural wake water movement of the yacht, as it bumps against the side of the decking.

Injury Participating in Water Recreation on a Yacht

In case there was any question, if you go out on a yacht, any water recreational sports that you participate in, “count” as having occurred in relation to your time on the yacht. Just think of it this way, if you were not on that yacht as a guest, you would not have been out on the reef snorkeling that day, or swimming with baby sharks, or riding a jet ski at sunset in the open ocean. You can be injured in the ocean the same way on a yacht as you can be injured on any other seaworthy craft. The same rules apply to managing an injury on a yacht, there are no passes just because you are on a yacht when the injury to the guest occurs. You need to discuss this type of situation with a lawyer to understand the nature of any lawsuit that you bring in this case.

Sexual Assault on a Private Yacht

A sexual assault can occur easily while a guest is on a private yacht. Unfortunately, it is the case when someone is out at sea and miles away from land that some predators will take advantage of the situation and sexually assault someone. The rules regarding sexual assaults on a yacht are governed by the same laws more known on land. In this case the maritime laws are enforced by the marine police and even various military branches – where crimes at sea have a zero tolerance!

The same rights that a person has on land apply to being to out at sea in a yacht. You have the right not to be assaulted, battered, sexually assaulted or otherwise touched, hit, punched or kicked while at sea. You also have the right not to be sexually violated while at sea on a yacht. Your human rights follow you wherever you go, and that includes being on the open ocean on a yacht, or being in a spacecraft on the way to Mars! You are entitled to the same protections that you deserve and do have to protect you from being injured, sexually assaulted or otherwise while on a yacht.

Yacht Party Sexual Assault

Sexual assault can include a wide variety of behaviors by the perpetrator, and will result in many of the same traumas for the victim. A sexual assault victim may experience unwanted:

• Fondling
• Sexual touching
• Forcing to perform sexual acts
• Rape
• Various types of penetration to the victim’s body
• Emotional coercion
• Psychological force (manipulation, bullying, hazing)
• Non-consensual sex
• Threats of bodily harm
• Intimidation tactics

It is possible for a party where everyone is having fun, to disintegrate rather quickly to a situation where one or more people are being sexually harassed or worse, while on a yacht. It is critical that you remember the facts as they occurred, in the order that they occurred and discuss the details of the case in a high level of detail to allow your attorney to come to the correct conclusion about what occurred in these situations.

Rules with a Renter Yacht

Renting a yacht today is not difficult to do. If you have the funds, you can rent a yacht. It’s a pretty simple concept that anyone can follow. Simple too are the rules of rental contracts when renting any type of watercraft. The rules state the obvious, that the person renting the yacht will be responsible for any damage or loss to the vessel. Additionally, the person renting the yacht will be held to be responsible for everyone who is invited as a guest the yacht. This is usually spelled out in bold, upper case and clear language on the rental contract and agreement to rent a yacht. These clauses even are written in the first person, to make no mistake, and will read “I am fully responsible for everything that happens to me, the equipment, the facilities and all other persons in the area with me during the term of the rental period.”

This yacht rental contract is important to note for a few reasons. First, the rental agreement binds the renter of the yacht to any losses that happen around that individual the entire time that he or she enjoys taking custody of the yacht for the term of the rental. Second, the rental agreement is broad enough to include any injury, loss or damage, which covers just about everything – no matter how creative the renter of the yacht gets, that person is still responsible for all guests on the vessel.

Assault and Battery

Assault and battery can occur when one person tries to hurt another person physically, or acts in a threatening manner to put the victim in fear of receiving an immediate harm by the aggressor. On land or at sea, an assault and battery situation can be dangerous or even life threatening. This is more the case at sea, where there is literally nowhere to run and hide, without the aggressor having the advantage. The assault and battery can also have occurred with a deadly weapon, an overt action to put fear in the victim’s heart that harm is imminent, or scaring a guest on a yacht to believe that the person’s life is in danger – these all count to establish assault charges. You need to discuss this type of case with a lawyer with specialty in accidents and injuries that occur on a private yacht. We are your #1 resource for an experienced attorney in Los Angeles, who can help you when you are injured on a private yacht.

Other Incidents that can Occur on Private Yachts

In addition to the incidents already discussed above, there are many other incidents that could occur on boats and yachts. These include slip and falls and trip and falls. Slip and falls on a boat or yacht are easily among the most common incidents, as slippery surfaces are almost always present. This is because it is very common for there to be ocean water on outdoor surfaces. Yachts are also typically equipped with showers, restrooms, etc.; these can all have leaks, spills, ad other hazards that could lead to slips. Trip and falls on yachts are also common. Trip and fall accidents can be caused by a number of trip hazards, which can include blocked walkways, broken tiles, torn carpeting, exposed wires, etc. Both trip and fall accidents and slip and fall accidents can lead to a number of injuries.

If you or a loved one suffered a slip and fall accident or a trip and fall accident on a private yacht, it is important that you seek legal assistance as soon as possible – as you might have grounds to file a lawsuit. For more information about the legal options available to you, contact the experts at our law firm as soon as possible.

Free Second Opinion

If you have been in the situation of being injured on a yacht, it may be hard to square the feelings that you have in deciding how to proceed afterwards. Although you were injured, you might feel “funny” about bringing a lawsuit against your friends, who after all invited you on their yacht. If you are unsure about your present lawsuit and how your current attorney is handling the case for you, you will want to call us for a second opinion. This second opinion will help you get a new and fresh perspective, which you need now, to ensure that you get the recovery compensation that you deserve in this type of a case. Trust us, this is no place for your ego, or the ego of the owner or renter of the yacht. We will discuss the case with you and explain where you should go from here, in order to settle the case to a successful conclusion. We have your best interest at heart. You can be sure that our Los Angeles case lawyers can file a lawsuit on your behalf in this case.

What to Do If You Are Thrown Off the Boat into the Water?

If you are thrown off the boat into the water, you can make a claim for your injuries. Being thrown into icy cold waters can leave you open for the risk of hypothermia, which can be fatal if not attended to immediately. Also, the shock of being thrown into water when you were not ready can have you land off balance on the surf. In these situations, you might break an arm, injure your leg, or even suffer a concussion from a hard impact with the water when you were not ready. You will have a claim for injuries and damages for being thrown intentionally or unintentionally into the water when spending time on a yacht. You need to talk to a lawyer with experience in injuries incurred on a private yacht by guests on those vessels.

Unintentional Drowning at Sea

Any time that an operator of a vessel is involved with the situation of a death at sea, it is a serious situation. In the case of a death at sea, it is a sad and sorrowful case that someone dies while enjoying time on a yacht. If there is a death, personal injury or property damage while at sea, the yacht operator needs to stop any recreational activities and call the local authorities to report the incident or accident. The marine patrol officers will board the vessel, and begin an investigation as to what occurred and how the person drowned. The jurisdiction, rules and laws of the case will need to be reviewed by the attorneys who are experienced with expertise in at this type of claim.

Zero Fee Guarantee

Our policy is that we do not expect any payments up front, and offer you a zero fee guarantee. That makes it easy for you to call us today, and talk to us about your lawsuit right now. Call the attorneys who specialize in injuries on a private yacht today.

Covering Up a Crime

If you are injured while on a yacht, it is your duty to report the injury and bring an action to recover for your losses. Look at it this way, if you were walking down a street and were injured, you would be wondering who is responsible for your injury, and make a claim for damages. You would want to bring an action against the responsible party to be reimbursed for your injuries, which can include:

• Lost wages
• Loss of consortium to a spouse
• Time away from work
• Cost of medications
• Rehabilitation after a surgery
• Emotional stressors

After being injured on a yacht, you are duty bound to report these injuries, especially if the yacht operator refuses to do so. If you do not report injuries after a loss on a yacht, you are in effect participating in covering up what might be a criminal action. This is not the position that you want to be in. You can give us a call today, and our case attorneys in Los Angeles can sue the wrongdoers on your behalf in this type of case.

<>span class=’hd2’Average Case Settlement Amount for Injuries on a Boat or Yacht
Our legal office has previously been approached with questions regarding the average value of these cases. In general, the value of these cases is strictly based on the details surrounding the incident – specifically the extent of the injuries suffered. In general, cases with severe injuries will always be worth more than cases with only minor injuries. Moderate injuries can have case values of around $350,000, with severe injuries having case values of around $750,000. Of course, these numbers are just estimates. These cases can potentially be worth millions of dollars.

For more information about the potential value of your private yacht accident case, do not hesitate to contact the experts at our law firm immediately.

Call for a Free Consultation

We are here for you to discuss any injury, loss or damages that you have received while on a private yacht. We are able to talk to you and answer any questions that you may have regarding this type of loss. We will discuss these concerns with you in private, and understand the sensitive nature of this type of consultation. You need lawyers who can help with this type of case. Our attorneys have handled these types of cases in the past, and we are able to offer a free consultation right away to go over your concerns.

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