Boating accidents are frightening experiences. A vessel could sink with passengers on it, or a collision could throw someone overboard when they are far from shore. Each year, Louisiana sees around 20 boating accident deaths. Those who survive struggle with many common injuries.
Contact Inzina Law Injury Attorneys to speak with a Lafayette, LA boat accident attorney. Our firm offers a free consultation for those hurt in any type of accident on the water. You deserve expert legal guidance and the steady hand one of our personal injury attorneys can provide. In this article, we look at common boating accident injuries. Only your medical team can offer a detailed prognosis for your chance of recovery, so please go to the hospital soon after an accident for a diagnosis. But we can handle the legal side of an injury case, including negotiating a favorable settlement. Contact us to get started.
Anoxic or Hypoxic Brain Injuries
The brain needs oxygen to prevent cells from dying. Someone who almost nearly drowns can struggle to breathe for long periods of time and, therefore, suffer a brain injury due to oxygen deficiency. Doctors call these injuries anoxic or hypoxic injuries.
Once cells die, they don’t regenerate, so you can be left with permanent disabilities. This means a loved one with this type of injury could be unable to speak, or they could have impaired memory. A person might be left in a vegetative state and require years in a nursing home. The exact disability a victim will struggle with depends on the area of the brain that died due to oxygen depletion.
These are some of the most expensive boating accident injuries. In addition to time in the intensive care unit, you might require ongoing rehabilitation or years in a long-term care facility. You need an experienced Lafayette boat accident lawyer to fully analyze how much to request in compensation—and then fight for a meaningful settlement.
Fractures
Boat accidents are usually traumatic. Your boat could crash into another vessel, collide with a dock, or run aground. These accidents send people tumbling.
You can fracture your skull, arms, legs, and ribs when you collide with other passengers or slam into the boat. Fractures might not seem like a major boat accident injury. However, they can have complications, including bone loss, excessive bleeding, infection and other problems.
Burns
A boat could catch on fire due to electrical problems, and you might end up burned before you can get off the boat. Some boats also lack safety rafts, and you could be far from shore. Burn injuries in boat accidents tend to be severe and might cover a large portion of your body. Treatment can also be delayed if you are burned far from shore, which tends to make these boating accident injuries worse.
Whiplash
We normally think of whiplash as a car accident injury. But it is one of the most common injuries in boat accidents. When a boat crashes into a dock or wake wave, or if it runs aground, then your head can snap violently back and forth. This motion will stress and stretch the tissue in your neck, including muscles and tendons.
Essentially, whiplash is a strain/sprain. You will slowly feel pain and stiffness in your neck which can become overwhelming in the days that follow. Try to take it easy and go to the doctor. As with most soft-tissue injuries, you need to rest to give your body time to heal. As a result, many people miss weeks of work because their neck is too stiff or tender for them to leave the house.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
TBIs are common injuries in any type of motor vehicle collision. You can suffer a direct blow to the head, which will “jiggle” the brain inside your skull, or it can shake violently. We often see TBIs paired with whiplash.
TBIs are different from anoxic-hypoxic brain injuries. For one, your brain cells shouldn’t die, so you can slowly recover. Hard shaking of your brain disrupts the normal functioning of the axons, which send signals. But a TBI should heal with sufficient rest.
Nonetheless, moderate and severe TBIs leave many victims with permanent disabilities. According to one study from the Centers for Disease Control, about 50% of people who suffered a moderate TBI were disabled five years after the accident. A similar percentage were unemployed because their disabilities prevented them from working.
TBIs are often hard to diagnose. But go to the doctor if you experience any of the most common symptoms:
- Memory loss
- Physical impairment (loss of balance or coordination, muscle weakness, etc.)
- Slurred speech
- Disrupted sleep (sleeping too much or not enough, or an otherwise disrupted sleep schedule)
- Depression
Contusions (Bruises)
A bruise is a relatively minor boat accident injury. However, deep contusions can lead to other problems. As blood collects at the site of injury, it can cut off blood flow to other parts of your body, leading to something called compartment syndrome. If you suffer a large bruise, you should head to the hospital. Problems can snowball without treatment.
Speak to a Lawyer at Inzina Law Injury Attorneys Today
Are you struggling with a boat accident injury? You can receive compensation, but we need to pinpoint who is responsible for your injuries. In many situations, a boat operator is to blame for an accident. This person could have followed another vessel too closely or not paid attention to where they were going. Distraction and even alcohol intoxication are serious problems.
In other situations, the boat’s owner could be to blame for failure to perform necessary repairs (which might cause a fire) or for failure to stock life vests or rafts. We might also bring an injury claim against the owner for your injuries.
Contact Inzina Law Injury Lawyers to schedule your free consultation. We have won many large settlements for injured people and are eager to help in any way we can. A Lafayette, LA boat accident lawyer is standing by to meet.