Baton Rouge Boating Accident Lawyer

Have you been injured in a boating accident in Baton Rouge, Louisiana? Contact the award-winning legal team at Palmintier, Thrower, and Treuting Injury Attorneys. You may be entitled to compensation from the negligent boat operator, a boat rental company, or another responsible party. Our Baton Rouge boating accident lawyers want to help you maximize your recovery.

For decades, Palmintier, Thrower, and Treuting Injury Attorneys has been a trusted advocate for accident victims and families in Baton Rouge. Drawing from 80+ years of combined experience, our top-rated Louisiana litigators have helped clients win over $1 billion in monetary awards.

Don’t settle for less than your boat injury claim is worth. Trust us to help you make things right. Contact us for a free consultation or call our Baton Rouge law office today at 225-401-6962 to get started.

How Palmintier, Thrower, and Treuting Injury Attorneys Helps Boat Accident Victims in Baton Rouge, LA

What caused your boating accident? Who’s to blame? What evidence do you need to win a legal claim for damages? What if you get blamed in the process?

While these are all important issues, they’re not something you need to worry about when you hire Palmintier, Thrower, and Treuting Injury Attorneys. Our Baton Rouge personal injury lawyers will handle all aspects of your boating accident case. You take the time you need to get better.

Count on us to:

• Conduct a thorough independent investigation into your boat accident to understand how and why it happened
• Establish liability for the boat accident and resulting damages
• Evaluate vessel maintenance records, medical records, accident reports, video footage, photographs of damaged property, and other evidence
• Interview eyewitnesses to gain additional insight into your boat accident
• Collaborate with expert witnesses as we build your claim and assess your damages
• Calculate what your boat accident case is likely worth
• File your boat injury claim with the insurance company and/or local court clerk
• Aggressively pursue the best possible terms in a settlement agreement during negotiations with the defense
• Litigate your boat accident lawsuit at trial, if necessary

Our personal injury law firm in Baton Rouge represents boat accident victims on a contingency fee basis. Don’t worry about the cost of hiring us to represent you. We only get paid if we win compensation for your boat accident case. Even better, our fees come directly out of your financial award, so there’s no out-of-pocket cost to you.

Contact our Baton Rouge, LA, law office to learn more about working with our award-winning team. Our staff is available to set a time for a free consultation right now.

What Causes Most Boating Accidents?

Every year, scores of boat accidents are reported on waterways in the state of Louisiana. According to the United States Coast Guard (USCG), there were 103 boat accidents in the state in 2022. At least 23 of those boat accidents were fatal, resulting in 29 deaths.

Unfortunately, most of Louisiana’s boat accidents, injuries, and deaths can be avoided. They’re often the result of negligence – or a party’s failure to exercise reasonable care.

Some of the most commonly cited causes include:

• Speeding
• Operator inattention
• Operating a boat on unsafe waters
• Ignoring boat safety laws and regulations
• Drug and alcohol use
• Falling overboard
• Operator inexperience
• Running aground
• Unsafe wake
• Improper lookout

There are also times when factors outside of an operator’s control can cause boat accidents, including vessel defects, equipment malfunctions, and bad weather conditions.

Representing Clients After All Types of Boating Accidents in Baton Rouge

If you want to maximize your recovery, it’ll be important to hire an attorney with an in-depth knowledge of and proven experience handling complex boat accident cases.

At Palmintier, Thrower, and Treuting Injury Attorneys, our team has over 80 years of combined experience helping clients who’ve been injured or have lost close family members in all types of boat accidents, including:

• Speedboat accidents
• Sailboat accidents
• Kayak accidents
• Canoe accidents
• Rowboat accidents
• Jet ski accidents
• Commercial fishing accidents
• Yacht accidents
• Cruise ship accidents
• Shrimp trawler accidents
• Pirogue accidents
• Lafitte skiff accidents
• Airboat accidents
• Fatal boat accidents

If you’ve been injured in a boat accident because someone else was careless, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Baton Rouge personal injury attorneys for immediate legal assistance. We’re here to make your fight for compensation as easy as possible.

Who Could Be Liable For a Boating Accident?

In Louisiana, anyone who contributes to a boat accident, either directly or indirectly, can be liable for a victim’s damages.

Depending on why and how your boat accident happened, the following parties could be on the hook for your medical bills, loss of income, and other resulting damages:

• Boat operator
• Boat passenger
• Boat rental company
• Boat mechanic
• Vessel manufacturer
• Employer of a negligent party
• Government agency

Our boat accident attorneys in Baton Rouge will conduct a thorough investigation into your crash to understand what went wrong. Knowing the cause will help us establish liability and work toward successfully recovering compensation on your behalf.

What Types of Damages Can Be Awarded to Baton Rouge Boating Accident Victims?

Filing a boat accident lawsuit in Baton Rouge allows you to collect compensatory damages from a negligent or otherwise liable party.

Compensatory damages can include two different types of awards: economic and non-economic. Each type is intended to help you deal with different aspects of your recent boating accident.

Economic damages can help to alleviate some of the financial stress you experience because of your boat accident, which might include:

• Emergency room care, hospitalization, surgery, and other current medical bills
• Future medical expenses related to medication, rehabilitation, and follow-up care
• Lost wages, income, and benefits
• Diminished earning capacity
• Property damage
• Out-of-pocket costs
• Funeral expenses if a boat accident is fatal

These damages are limited to your verified costs and reasonably projected future monetary losses, as supported by evidence and expert testimony.

Non-economic damages can help to compensate for more personal trauma you experience as the victim of a boat accident, such as:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Disability
• PTSD
• Loss of companionship
• Disfigurement
• Physical scarring
• Chronic physical pain

The defendant in your boat accident case will put up a fight when you ask them to take responsibility for your injuries, costs, and suffering. They’ll argue that you’ve exaggerated your injuries and the ways in which the boat accident has affected your life. They might even try to blame you for the crash.

Our boat accident lawyers in Baton Rouge won’t let these tactics hurt your chances of getting a meaningful financial award. Count on us to do everything in our power to not only win your case. We’re here to make sure you can maximize your recovery, too.

Common Boat Accident Injuries

Palmintier, Thrower, and Treuting Injury Attorneys helps boat accident victims pursue compensation for all types of physical injuries, including:

• Hypothermia
• Drowning injuries
• Hypoxia
• Brain injuries
• Concussions
• Eye injuries
• Nerve damage
• Internal organ damage
• Chest injuries
• Soft tissue injuries
• Neck injuries
• Back injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Quadriplegia 
• Crushing injuries
• Amputation injuries
• Degloving injuries
• Catastrophic injuries
• Wrongful death of a family member

Don’t hesitate to contact our law office for help after a boat accident. We’re here to provide the assistance you need 24 hours a day.

What If I’m Blamed For a Boat Accident in Baton Rouge?

You can still get compensation, but your damages may be reduced. Louisiana adheres to a system of pure comparative negligence. As a result, shared responsibility will limit, but not bar, a financial recovery.

Damages in a settlement or jury award are reduced proportionately to fault. For example, if you’re blamed for 25 percent of the boat accident, your financial award will be reduced by 25 percent. So, if your case was initially valued at $100,000, your max take-home recovery would be $75,000.

Our Baton Rouge boat accident attorneys will help you challenge claims of shared fault and protect your ability to get a life-changing financial award.

How Long Will I Have to File a Boat Accident Lawsuit in Louisiana?

In Louisiana, a two-year statute of limitations applies to most personal injury lawsuits. This gives you two years from the date of your boat accident to seek compensation. 

A one-year statute of limitations applies if you’ve lost a family member in a fatal boat accident and want to bring a wrongful death claim. 

Note that there could be exceptions to these general deadlines. Contact an attorney right away to protect your legal rights. 

Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Baton Rouge Boating Accident Lawyer

Don’t settle for less than you deserve after a boat accident in Baton Rouge, LA. Demand a top-dollar recovery by trusting Palmintier, Thrower, and Treuting Injury Attorneys to fight for you.

Our Baton Rouge boating accident attorneys have over 80 years of collective experience litigating tough cases like yours. We’ve helped clients secure well over $1 billion in compensation.

Trust us to fight for your best interests, too. We offer a free consultation. Contact our law office in Baton Rouge, LA, for help today.