What Are the Biggest Injury Risks in a Boat Collision?
During the warmer months, many Maryland residents spend time on the water in their boats. While this is usually a fun and enjoyable experience, your day can quickly turn into a disastrous and dangerous situation when a boat collision occurs. Some of the injury risks from these types of collisions can be as minor as a few scratches, scrapes, or bruises, or they can be as serious as traumatic brain injuries, amputations, or even paralysis.
Six of the most common injuries in a boat collision
When a boat owner or operator fails to properly manage and take car of their boat, acts carelessly or recklessly when operating the boat, or drinks alcohol while the boat is in motion, there is a strong chance that they may experience or cause a boat collision, which puts themselves and their passengers at risk of serious injuries and fatalities. The following are six of the biggest injury risks in a boat collision:
- Traumatic brain injuries: When a boat is involved in a collision with another boat or object, it may crash at high speeds, causing the passengers to experience a sudden and forceful impact. When this happens, they may hit their heads on an object, or their brain may quickly slam against their skull, leading to a traumatic brain injury. Some of the most common types of brain injuries boat accident victims can suffer include concussions, contusions, diffuse axonal injuries, coup-contrecoup injuries, and hematomas.
- Cuts and lacerations: Most cuts and lacerations are minor. However, a boat’s propeller can create a serious hazard. Propeller-related injuries may be severe and deep, which can cause non-stop bleeding or death. It is also not uncommon for cuts and lacerations to result in serious scarring, disfigurement, and organ damage.
- Broken and fractured bones: Broken and fractured bones are very common after a boat collision. Passengers are likely to fall and encounter hard surfaces on the boat in the event of an accident. As a result, they may suffer broken or fractured legs, arms, necks, ribs, jaws, and more. If an object lands on top of a passenger during a collision or they are caught between objects, their bones can also shatter or crush, which may lead to devastating consequences.
- Spinal cord injuries: Spinal cord injuries are another injury common to boat collisions. These injuries usually happen when a passenger experiences strong and forceful movement during a collision, they are struck by an object, or they fall. Regardless of how a boat accident victim sustains this type of injury, they may suffer long-term and permanent effects, such as chronic back pain, numbness, muscle weakness, paralysis, bladder and bowel issues, blood clots, respiratory problems, and more.
- Amputations: These injuries are most likely when a person comes into contact with a propeller, which can traumatically amputate a body part. In the event of a collision, a person may also sustain a severe crushing injury, necessitating surgical amputation.
- Drownings: While most people associate drowning with people who do not know how to swim well, it can also happen to skilled swimmers. This is because boat accident victims may become injured and unconscious in the water, or they may become trapped under the boat parts and debris from the collision. Drowning is one of the most significant injury risks in a boat collision, especially when boat operators and passengers fail to wear their life jackets as recommended.
Boat collisions almost always result in life-threatening injuries. If you were involved in a boat collision and were not at fault, it is crucial that you reach out to the Maryland boat accident injury attorneys from Plaxen Adler Muncy as soon as possible. Our attorneys will look over the details of your boat accident and determine whether you are eligible to file a claim to get the compensation you need to get your life back on track again. Call our office or submit our contact form to request a free, no-obligation consultation today. We have multiple offices located throughout Maryland for your convenience.
Joshua Plaxen graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, and graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2012 magna cum laude. He was also inducted into the Heuisler Honor Society for finishing in the top ten percent of his class. During law school, Joshua served on the Executive Board of the University of Baltimore Law Review.