California Injury Blog
Three California men – 37-year-old Robert Moody, Sean Swanson, 41, and Gilbert Sanchez, 39 – suffered major injuries in a Lake Havasu boating accident on November 22, 2008, the News-Herald reports. The 11/22/08 accident occurred when the boat the men were riding in crashed into a shoreline just north of Black Meadow Landing on Lake Havasu. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials said the boat was traveling at an unknown rate of speed in the dark when it collided with a shoreline on the Arizona side of Lake Havasu.
Robert Moody, who was driving the boat, was listed in critical condition. Sanchez and Swanson suffered multiple fractures and facial injuries. Investigators are looking into what caused this accident and whether it was alcohol-related.
I’m glad the three men involved in this horrific boating accident did not suffer fatal injuries. I hope and pray that they make a quick and complete recovery.
Boating accidents are apparently on the rise and most of them involve recreational vessels such as personal watercraft. According to the U.S. Coast Guard’s 2007 boating statistics, the number of boating-related deaths fell from 710 in 2006 to 685 in 2007. But the number of boating accidents themselves increased from 4,967 to 5,191. Boating related injuries rose from 3,474 to 3,673 and damages increased from $43 million to $53 million during that period.
Also according to this report, more than two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those victims 90 percent were not wearing a life jacket. A majority – about 86 percent of the operators who were killed or injured in boating accidents – had not received boating safety instruction. The most common causes of boating accidents are alcohol use, careless or reckless operation, passenger behavior and excessive speed.
It would be interesting to see what caused this particular Lake Havasu boating accident.
If this was caused by an inherent product defect or design defect in the vessel, the manufacturer could be held liable for the accident and injuries. In boating collision accidents, negligent boating operators can also be held responsible for the accident-related injuries or fatalities caused on the water. If you have been injured in a boating accident or have lost a family member in a boating accident, contact any reputable law firm that handles watercraft accidents. You would also be well-served to preserve the vessel in its crashed condition so it can be examined for malfunction, defects and other evidence.