Boat Rental Injuries
Boat rental injuries are one of the most numerous types of cases we see. Here is why boat rental injury cases occur. The State of Florida makes it very easy for a person to rent a boat, regardless of their level of experience. Florida relies upon a strong tourism industry and does not require out of state visitors to have any level of experience to rent a boat in the State of Florida as long as the person was born before January 1, 1988. Even for persons who were born after that date of January 1, 1988, Florida only requires the renter to take an on-line safety course. There is no test given to the renters to demonstrate they have any ability to actually operate the vessel. Therefore, passengers are often at the hands of inexperienced operators who are given control of sometimes powerful vessels.
Another reason rental boat injury cases occur is that the boat rental companies in Florida are completely on board with the minimal qualifications for boat renters. It is after all how those boat rental companies make money: by renting to the public. In most boat rental injury cases we have seen—and they are numerous—there is typically very little training involved for the boat renter to operate the rented boat. After all, when the renter walks up to rent a vessel, who is going to wait around to go through hours of training? Therefore, the boat rental company makes it as easy as possible to get even the most inexperienced boat operator behind the wheel of a rental boat. That appears to be the thinking of the State of Florida and the boat rental companies who make money renting out boats.
A legitimate question is whether it unwise for the boat rental companies to give over their vessels to inexperienced operators. However, boat rental companies typically hide behind waivers that are a part of the boat rental agreement. If you are on a rented vessel and sustain injury, the attorney you choose better know how to defeat the liability waiver. Choosing an attorney who has never handled a boat rental injury case, or one who has a boat rental case once every 5 years is not a good choice. The truth is that most boat rental injury cases will be handled under maritime law, and not the Florida law that governs auto accident cases. A typical auto accident attorney is not going to know that maritime law applies to the majority of boat rental accident cases. The statute of limitations is different than under Florida law, and so is the law that governs the case—including that many times those cases involve federal courts.
It is important for your boat rental injury case that you choose an attorney and law firm that has handled numerous cases like yours and does them on an every day basis. You can have trust in our 25 years experience of handling boat rental accident cases. Our law firm, www.888BoatLaw.com (Frank D. Butler, PA) has handled these cases successfully throughout all of Florida, including right now from the Florida Panhandle down into the Florida Keys.
Contact us now to discuss your boat rental injury case.
Call us at 888-B-0-A-T-L-A-W (888-262-8529)
