Boating Accident Lawyers

Serving Chicago, Arlington Heights, and all of Illinois

Part of the allure of Chicago is that it borders Lake Michigan. There are other beautiful bodies of water in Illinois as well, including the Illinois River and many others. These beautiful lakes and rivers attract boaters. Some are responsible, and some are not. Unfortunately, boating accidents often involve both types.

Boating Accidents and Negligence

Most boating accidents are preventable.  They can be caused by many types of negligence or recklessness, including:

  • Alcohol use
  • Operator inexperience
  • Careless operation
  • Reckless operation
  • Failure to provide proper safety equipment (such as life jackets)
  • Defective product design

Most often, the watercraft involved are small craft popular among recreational boaters, such as open motorboats, cabin motorboats, or personal watercraft (Jet Ski, Sea Doo, etc.) Depending on the type of negligence, you may be able to recover compensation for personal injury or wrongful death from one or more people involved.

Boating Accidents Are Different

Many boating accidents are caused or worsened because people do not understand the dangers of boating. Many people, especially inexperienced operators, think of boats as cars on water. Boats maneuver differently, have different safety equipment, and have the additional danger of drowning. Boaters are easily ejected from boats, and even boaters who know how to swim can drown if injured, impaired by alcohol, or knocked unconscious. Lakes and rivers are also not lit like streets, making boating accidents at night much more difficult to avoid.

If you have been involved in a boating accident, you want to work with  a lawyer experienced with boating accidents. An experienced boating accident lawyer knows the different laws that apply to boating accidents, as well as the rules and regulations that define negligence in a boating accident. In addition, your boating accident lawyer should know what evidence is crucial to a boating accident case, how to investigate to gather that evidence, and how to interact with all the important participants in the case such as insurance companies, judges, other lawyers, and juries.

Contact Our Chicago Boating Accident Lawyers

Contact our skilled Chicago Boating Accident Lawyers at Willens Law Offices today for your FREE consultation at 312-957-4166 or e-mail us at info@willenslaw.com as soon as possible to find out how we can help you. Attorney consultations are offered at no cost.