The party responsible for your boating accident will likely be those who own or are in charge of the boat. Boat owners are legally obliged to carry public liability insurance to protect against accidents, while ferry, fishing and cruise liner companies are subject to the same health and safety standards set by the Health and Safety Executive to protect employees and customers.

Leisure companies, cruise carriers and tour operators are also obliged to ensure the safety of participants of any excursions involving boats. As such, if an accident occurs on a boat that was not your fault, and you are injured as a result, you may be entitled to claim personal injury compensation. This eligibility will depend on who is held liable for the incident, so it is crucial to speak to expert boat accident lawyers to begin this process. We will first discuss your circumstances to determine who is the negligent party, whether that be the boat operator or someone else, before launching any boating accident claims.

Sailing or working onboard a boat can be one of the riskiest roles for employees. If you are hurt while working on a boat, making a claim can help to compensate you for the pain and suffering, and support you financially with regard to any loss of earnings resulting from the accident.

As in any workplace, it is the responsibility of your employer to make sure you are kept as safe as possible while aboard a boat. This applies to any of the following roles and industries:

• Cargo ships
• Cruise ships
• Fishing vessels
• Coast guard
• Vessel repair or maintenance
• Boat tours

To meet their HSE obligations, boat operators must provide crew members with the correct safety equipment and offer them the necessary training. Failure to do so may be considered negligent and put you in a position to seek compensation for the pain and suffering of your injury, along with lost wages, medical bills and other associated costs.

The time limit for making any personal injury claim is usually three years from the date on which the accident occurred. However, accidents on boats, ships or cruise liners can be covered by separate regulations, where a claim may need to be made within two years of the date of the accident. If you are concerned about time limits that may apply to your circumstances, speak to our boating accident lawyers at the earliest opportunity for a no-obligation consultation. We can advise you on your eligibility to recover compensation and start the process within any deadlines that apply.

It is difficult to calculate exactly how much compensation you will be entitled to following a boating accident, due to differences in injuries and the circumstances of the incident. Our Personal Injury Compensation Calculator provides guidance on the average compensation payout amounts based on previous cases, so you can get an understanding of how much your claim is worth.

In addition to your pain and suffering, you can often collect damages for specific financial losses you experienced due to the accident. For example, if you are the owner of the boat and were not at fault for the accident, you may be able to claim for property damage to your vessel. Compensation can also cover lost wages if you need to take time off work to recover from your injuries.

There are many factors that affect compensation claims for boating accidents, and this makes it difficult to estimate how long the process of making your claim will take. For relatively simple situations, in which the negligent party admits their liability and seeks to settle the claim, the case can be resolved in a matter of months. For more complicated cases that involve multiple other boats, complicated contributing factors or disputed liability, it can take more than a year to resolve your claim.

As we have noted above, we can support clients with insurance claims relating to a wide variety of boating accidents. When appropriate health and safety procedures are not followed, or when other types of negligence occur aboard a vessel, there are several types of accidents that commonly result.

• Collisions: Collisions can occur between two ships, or a ship and a stationary object. Common causes include navigational errors, failure to follow maritime traffic rules, and poor visibility.
• Grounding: This occurs when a vessel runs aground, hitting the seabed. It can result in significant damage to the vessel and injury to crew members or other boaters.
• Falling overboard: People falling overboard can suffer severe injuries or fatalities. This is a significant concern in rough weather conditions, and if life jackets are not provided or if other safety protocols are not followed, this can be considered negligence.
• Onboard injuries: Slips and falls, injuries from heavy machinery or equipment, and burns or scalds from onboard kitchens are typical examples of accidents that can occur on board a ship.
• Fires: Fires and explosions can cause severe injury and can be due to mechanical issues, electrical faults, improper handling of combustible materials or other types of negligence. Fire extinguishers must be provided to mitigate the risk of injury.

Speak to our solicitors about your circumstances today to learn how we can help, and whether you are eligible to make a compensation claim.