My daughter was involved in a boating accident and was injured. She was being pulled by a boat on an inner tube. The boat turned sharply to miss another boat sitting still and her momentum caused her to slam into the side of the other boat.
She had a broken arm that required a steel plate, screws, and staples. She also ruptured her spleen, lost a kidney, had internal bleeding, lacerated her liver, and had a ruptured aorta from her heart that needed a stent to put in place.
I’m wondering how much injuries like this are worth? Who is liable? What should we do? Thanks for any information you can give.
Disclaimer: Our response is not formal legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. It is generic legal information based on the very limited information provided. Do not rely upon the information in our response, or anywhere else on this site, when deciding the proper course of a legal matter. Always get a personalized case review from a local attorney.
Answer
Dear Anonymous,
Your daughter’s injuries are serious enough to require representation by an experienced personal injury attorney. Attempting to handle your daughter’s injury claim on your own is a recipe for disaster.
Most personal injury lawyers do not charge for an initial office consultation.
Make several appointments. You and your daughter should bring with you to the appointments current medical bills, photographs and all other evidence related to the injury.
From the facts you present the driver of the boat pulling your daughter appears to be liable. There doesn’t seem to be any evidence the second driver acted negligently.
To determine the amount of compensation fairly representing your daughter’s injuries requires a close examination of the evidence and confirmation of the driver’s liability. This might include a determination of intoxication, whether the boat driver was licensed, and whether the boat owner and driver were one and the same.
The driver of the boat and the owner of the boat should be individually and collectively liable for your daughter’s injuries.
The financial value of your daughter’s case will be determined by an extrapolation of the total amount of her medical bills. There are a couple of ways to extrapolate the medical bills. The process should be left to your daughter’s attorney.
Don’t permit your daughter to make any statements or to sign any documents until she seeks legal representation.
Learn more here: Boating Accident Compensation
The above is general information. Laws change frequently, and across jurisdictions. You should get a personalized case evaluation from a licensed attorney.
Find a local attorney to give you a free case review here, or call 888-972-0892.
We wish you the best with your claim,
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