Florida Boat Accident Attorney
Maritime Law. It’s a specialty. We are the specialists.
Maritime law is a completely different law than state law. Maritime law applies to every boating accident which happens on “navigable waters.” That means any waterway which is capable of commercial transportation. That includes most waterways, canals, inlets, bays, gulfs, and oceans in and near Florida. Biscayne Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, The Florida Keys, Florida Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, everywhere.
Legal help from Miami boating accident lawyers when you or a loved one is injured on a boat in Florida.
From Biscayne Bay to the Gulf Coast, serious boat accidents can happen in an instant. If you or a loved one have been injured in any boating accident, you will need an experienced specialist in these cases. Boats crashing into each other. Boats running over swimmers. Boats running over divers. Boats crashing into jetty’s, seawalls, and pilings. Jet skis (personal water craft) crashing. You need an experienced, qualified maritime lawyer. The Miami attorneys at Hickey Law Firm are here to help. Led by an attorney who is triple Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Civil Trial Law and Admiralty and Maritime Law and Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, our team has vast experience in this complex area of law. We are nationally recognized through independent legal rankings for our settlements and trial verdicts.
Bodies of water in Florida where boat accidents frequently occur include:
- The Atlantic Ocean
- Gulf of Mexico
- Gulf Coast
- Gold Coast
- Panhandle
- Biscayne Bay
- Palm Bay
- Apalachicola Bay
- Choctawhatchee Bay
- East Bay
- Escambia Bay
- Estero Bay
- Florida Bay
- Pensacola Bay
- Ponce de Leon Bay
- Sarasota Bay
- St. Andrews Bay
- Tampa Bay
- Whitewater Bay
- Inter-Coastal Waterway
There are also canals, lakes, and rivers in Florida offering countless opportunities for recreational boating. As a result, more yacht and boating accidents occur in Florida every year than in any other state.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What kinds of Florida boat accident cases does your law firm handle?
- What are the causes of Florida boating accidents?
- How common are boating accidents in Florida?
- What types of injuries happen from boat accidents?
- Does your Florida law firm handle diving accidents?
- Does your Florida law firm handle cases involving swimmers and divers struck by boats?
- What is the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851?
- Does Florida require a boating license and a boating safety education identification card?
- What is the value of my Florida boat accident case?
- Do you have a boat accident lawyer near me?
- Why choose Hickey Law Firm for my boat accident case?
- Do you have a Florida boating accident lawyer near me?
- Boat Crash Accident Videos - What You Need To Know
Our Practice Areas
- Admiralty and Maritime
- Canoe and Kayak Collisions
- Cruise Ship Accidents
- Cruise Ship Lawsuits
- Flyboarding Accidents
- Houseboat Accidents
- Jet Ski Accidents
- Kiteboarding Accidents
- Parasailing Accident Lawyers
- Pontoon Boat Accidents
- Scuba Diving Accidents
- Wakeboarding and Kneeboarding Accidents
- Waterski Accident Lawyers
What kinds of Florida boat accident cases does your law firm handle?
Commercial boating accidents
The attorneys at Hickey Law Firm have significant experience handling commercial boating accidents. These include accidents involving crew and passengers and may be caused by equipment failure, inadequate maintenance, poor vessel design, and other factors. Commercial vessels may include cruise ships, tankers, barges, and vessels used for similar purposes.
Recreational boating accidents
Our Florida injury attorneys also handle all types of recreational boats, including:
- Motorboat Accidents
- Yachting Accidents
- Jet Ski Accidents
- Party Boat Accidents
- Cabin Boat Accidents
- Flyboarding Accidents
- Houseboat Accidents
- Kiteboarding Accidents
- Parasailing Accident Lawyers
- Pontoon Boat Accidents
- Scuba Diving Accidents
- Wakeboarding and Kneeboarding Accidents
- Waterski Accidents
We also assist with injuries sustained in kayaks and canoes, as well as other non-motorized vessels.
Injured on a boat as part of an excursion?
We can help you file a cruise ship lawsuit
What are the causes of Florida boating accidents?
Here are some common causes of recreational boating accidents. We discuss cruise ship accidents separately.
Operator inexperience
Many recreational boating accidents occur from a general lack of boating education. People underestimate the dangers of watercraft compared to land vehicles, and many boat operators may not understand the basic “rules of the road” or nautical safety laws and precautions, such as:
- What to do when another yacht or boat is coming at them
- How to approach a big wave or wake at a safe angle and speed
- The importance of installing "kill switches" (devices that turn off an engine if the operator is thrown from the helm)
- The importance of wearing life jackets
Florida does not require boating safety education for all operators. Education requirements apply based on an operator’s birthdate and the vessel’s engine horsepower, subject to statutory exemptions.
Other common causes
Other common causes of recreational boating accidents include:
- Colliding with another vessel
- Colliding with kayakers, swimmers, jet skiers, and water skiers
- Speeding
- Operator impairment due to alcohol or drugs
- Failing to keep a lookout while guests are tubing or water skiing
- Capsizing
- Failing to have protective gear, such as a flotation device
- Defective boat design
- Defective boat repair
- Striking a fixed object (e.g., pier, bridge, or dock)
- Overloading and overcrowding
- Drinking alcohol
- Driving while distracted
Boat accident injuries tend to be serious, catastrophic, or even fatal. The Florida boat accident attorneys at Hickey Law Firm work to ensure the responsible party or parties are held accountable.
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THE COMPENSATION YOU DESERVE. ®
How common are boating accidents in Florida?
According to the US Coast Guard, recreational boating accidents nationwide involved 3,887 reportable incidents that involved 556 deaths, 2,170 injuries, and approximately $88 million of property damage. In the cases where the cause of death was known, more than 3 in 4 deaths involved drowning. Nationally, according to US Coast Guard numbers, 87% drowning victims whose life jacket use was known were not wearing a personal flotation device.
According to preliminary Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data for 2024, there were more than one million registered boats in Florida in 2024. In the FWC’s 2024 report, fatal-victim cases often involved operators who did not have formal boating education.
Estimates show that there were 685 reportable boating accidents in 2024.
- Operator inattention and improper lookout were the two leading primary contributing factors, together accounting for over 250 accidents. Other leading causes included operator inexperience, machinery failure, alcohol use, and speeding.
- The leading type of boating accidents was a collision with a fixed object. Other leading types of accidents included:
- Collision with a vessel.
- Swamping.
- A person was ejected from the boat.
- Persons falling overboard.
- There were 81 deaths overall.
- The majority of fatal boating accidents involved someone 36 or older.
- Open motorboats were involved in around half of the reportable boating accidents.
- Personal watercraft vehicles were involved in more than 20 percent of reportable boating accidents. 40 percent of these accidents occurred in Miami-Dade (24), Pinellas (19), and Okaloosa (16) counties.
In many fatal drowning cases, victims either could not swim or were weak swimmers.
What types of injuries happen from boat accidents?
Boat injuries may result from a collision. They can also result from rough waters, poor navigation, improperly maintained vessels, and other issues beyond your control. When you are injured through no fault of your own or as a direct result of someone else’s negligence, you have the right to seek compensation for all of your damages through swift and aggressive legal action.
Common boat accident injuries include:
- Traumatic amputation and limb loss
- Spinal cord injuries
- Severe burn injuries
- Broken or fractured bones
- Back and neck injuries
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Head and brain injuries
- Oxygen deprivation
- Cuts and lacerations
Drowning and wrongful death are also possible when involved in a boat accident.
Depending on the severity of your injury, it may be impossible to resume working in the foreseeable future. You are likely facing significant medical expenses and suffering great amounts of physical and emotional pain. Our attorneys understand these things deserve compensation – and one of the best ways to make sure you are fully compensated is by taking legal action.
WHEN THE STAKES ARE HIGH, PEOPLE CHOOSE HICKEY LAW FIRM. ™
Does your Florida law firm handle diving accidents?
Yes. Tour and recreational boats often go out for deep-sea and SCUBA diving. However, when training or safety procedures are ignored, severe injuries can occur. Divers can get separated and lost. They can get wedged into tight spaces and stuck. They can experience leaking masks, pinched tubing, oxygen problems, and other disorienting events that may exacerbate dangerous conditions.
When conditions are dangerous or disorienting, a rapid ascent may seem compelling. Unfortunately, depending on how deep a diver has gone, this can result in decompression sickness, more commonly known as The Bends. Symptoms of the bends include:
- Joint pain
- Low back pain
- Numbness and weakness in the extremities
- Head and neck pain
- Fatigue
- Confusion
- Dizziness
The bends cause tissue and nerve damage, though the condition is not often fatal. It can, however, result in paralysis and may do permanent damage to the bladder, sexual organs, and spinal cord if not treated promptly.
Does your Florida law firm handle cases involving swimmers and divers struck by boats?
Yes. We represent swimmers and divers who are struck by boats or who suffer injuries trying to escape from an oncoming boat. We also represent families if a swimmer or diver dies in a boating accident.
What is the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851?
The Limitation of Liability Act of 1851 is codified in 46 U.S.C. Section 30505. Under the Act, a boat owner can file a lawsuit to limit their liability in an accident to the value of the boat or vessel (plus pending freight at the end of their voyage). This means that if the boat that caused the accident sinks or has little or no value, the owner may owe little or nothing to the injured parties.
But there are exceptions and restrictions on when and under what circumstances the LOLA can be used. The statute provides in 46 U.S.C. § 30503(b) that the Act does not affect the liability of an individual as a master, officer, or seaman, even if the individual is also an owner of the vessel.
A vessel owner must file a limitation action within six months of receiving written notice of a claim, and injured passengers must respond promptly once the federal court issues its injunction. To successfully obtain compensation after a boating accident, injured passengers need the help of an experienced maritime attorney who knows how to navigate this complex area of law.
Does Florida require a boating license and a boating safety education identification card?
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida requires an approved boating safety education course for operators born on or after January 1, 1988, who operate vessels with engines of 10 horsepower or more, subject to statutory exemptions. Operators should obtain a Florida Boating Safety Education ID Card.
The card does not expire. The card is not a boating license. Some exemptions to the boating safety course requirement may apply. So, while Florida does not issue a ‘boating license,’ many operators must carry a Boating Safety Education ID Card depending on birthdate and vessel type.
What is the value of my Florida boat accident case?
After a boat accident that was not your fault, you are entitled to seek compensation for your injuries and losses. The attorneys at Hickey Law Firm work to secure the following damages for YOU, the seriously injured person:
- Medical expenses, current and future
- Lost wages and future loss of earning potential
- Physical pain and emotional suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of bodily function
- The inability to enjoy life’s pleasures
- Property loss associated with the accident
In the tragic event that your loved one loses their life in a boating accident, our attorneys will file a wrongful death claim to cover funeral and burial expenses, lost income, and personal damages, among other damages.
Do you have a boat accident lawyer near me?
Hickey Law Firm is located at 12150 SW 128th Ct, Suite 225, in Miami, right off the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, close to the Miami Executive Airport. We serve the seriously injured in Miami, throughout Florida, and nationwide. If you are too injured to travel, we can come to you, or schedule a phone or video conference instead.
Why choose Hickey Law Firm for my boat accident case?
When maritime law applies, call our Florida Bar board-certified maritime law attorney, John H. (Jack) Hickey.
Best Law Firms®, Admiralty & Maritime (Top Tier)
JOHN H. (JACK) HICKEY
- Best Lawyers in America®, Admiralty and Maritime (Top Tier)
- Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Admiralty and Maritime Law
- Past Chair of the Admiralty Section of the American Association for Justice (AAJ)
- Past Chair of the Admiralty Law Committee of The Florida Bar
- Author of over 30 maritime law papers presented to attorneys at legal conferences.
- Former defense lawyer for cruise lines, marine insurance companies, and P&L Clubs.
- Miami-Dade Bar Circle of Excellence Award for Transportation / Maritime Law, 2024
- Legal Luminaries Award in Maritime Law, 2024
Our Florida boat accident law firm's results
We have obtained significant recoveries for our boating accident clients, including more than 30 recoveries of one million dollars or more. While past results can’t guarantee future outcomes, we have the experience and resources to hold boating operators, owners of boats, and boating manufacturers accountable for the serious injuries and deaths they cause.
Do you have a Florida boating accident lawyer near me?
Hickey Law Firm is located at 12150 SW 128th Ct, Suite 225, in Miami, right off the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, close to Miami Executive Airport. We serve the seriously injured in Miami, throughout Florida, and nationwide. If you are too injured to travel, we can come to you, or schedule a phone or video conference instead.
We’re available to answer your questions and guide you through each step of the claims process.
Talk to our experienced Florida boat accident attorneys today
If you or a loved one were injured in a boating accident, talk to the legal team at Hickey Law Firm. As one of a small percentage of lawyers in Florida or across the country who have received Board Certification in Maritime Law, Attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey has the specialized experience you need to recover the compensation you deserve for your losses.
To schedule a consultation, call us or fill out our contact form today. We can talk about your case and answer all your questions. Initial consultations are free, and we handle boating accident cases on a contingency basis.
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