If you or someone you love was injured in a boating accident due to the negligence of someone else, our attorney can help you recover the compensation you need and deserve.
The oceanic area in Florida is vast and the variations in accidents are numerous and can involve injuries to people on fishing boats, cruise boats, as well as recreational boats.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 659 reportable boating accidents occurred in 2023. Operator inattention and lack of experience rank as the top primary responsible factors.
Nationwide, according to the Coast Guard recreational boating accident statistics report for 2023, there were 2296 accidents, resulting in 1492 injuries and 250 fatalities.
Maritime Law, often called Admiralty Law, is a highly specialized legal practice here in Florida that encompasses many diverse aspects of personal injury, marine commerce, recreation, transportation, and wrongful death actions occurring on the high seas and navigable waters. You may have been entirely unaware that maritime law governs personal injury claims involving boats. You should contact a local lawyer who knows Florida state laws and specializes in the field of maritime law. Boating injuries and death may occur aboard any one of the following:
The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary is here to help all boating accident victims and their family members. We advise and represent injured individuals in all areas of law pertaining to damages incurred in a boating accident, including:
Ferry, tour boat & charter vessel guest injuries, or wrongful death can be caused by negligence on the part of the ship’s operator or crew. If you were a guest or a passenger and were injured as a result of a boating accident, we can help. We specialize in acting on behalf of anyone injured due to someone else's negligence on private ferries, charter vessels, and tour boats including:
A ferry, tour boat, or charter vessel passenger or guest who has suffered a serious injury may recover compensation for:
Ships can be unsafe places to work, and employees can face a significant risk of on-the-job injuries. In recognition of the perils and hazards associated with their shipboard duties, seamen and other employees are afforded special rights.
Two major laws in Florida protect seamen and maritime workers and employees:
Employees protected by the Jones Act include crewmembers, officers, captains, masters, day workers, and other people who work aboard vessels. Seamen are protected when an accident takes place on cruise and casino ships, barges, tugboats, fishing boats, ferries, trawlers, oil rigs, water taxis, and other vessels on the ocean, lakes, rivers, and canals.
Difficult and dangerous work goes on every day at harbors, ports or terminals, marine railways, and on dry docks. LHWCA typically covers the rights of these mariners, and these claims are handled through the U.S. Department of Labor. Dockworkers can also bring third-party claims against negligent people or companies other than their employers, such as contractors or manufacturers if the injuries are the result of their negligence.
Sean M. Cleary, Miami maritime attorney, represents workers injured due to someone else's negligence in:
Injured seamen and dock workers, may be entitled to:
At The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary, we can help you identify all possible sources of recovery from your injuries. Before talking to insurance company representatives or settling a claim with your employer, it’s important to seek experienced legal representation to help you get full compensation. We offer consultations in English and Spanish.
One of the most dangerous jobs in the US is commercial fishing. The job is physically demanding, the conditions are tough and the hours are long. All of these place commercial fishermen at constant risk of serious injury. We represent commercial fishermen including those working on:
Fishermen injured due to someone else's negligence have a legal right to seek compensation from the owner and operator of the vessel for numerous types of accidents and incidences that include:
The amount of damages to fishermen harmed in commercial fishing accidents often depends on the circumstances of the accident and the severity of the injuries. If injuries occurred due to others' negligence, victims and family members will receive adequate compensation for:
If a fisherman dies as a result of a negligent or intentional act of the vessel owner, operator, crewmember, or another third party, surviving family members can seek compensation that includes:
Some of the most common causes of maritime accidents include defective components of a boat, and defective boating equipment which can cause catastrophic events such as explosion, fire, collision, grounding, and sinking. Unfortunately, such events often result in injuries or even deaths.
Defective components or equipment on boats include, but are not limited to:
Depending on the component of the boat, there is a number of potential defects that can occur: the boat component can be mislabeled, have a defective design, be defectively constructed, fabricated, installed, and improperly integrated with other components. The failure of a sub-component part of the boat can result in the entire loss of a vessel, damage to nearby vessels, and death.
Product liability cases are often complicated and require an attorney with years of experience handling boating accident claims. Sean M. Cleary knows the ins and outs of this area of law and has successfully handled many product liability cases involving boating accidents.
Whether your claim is covered by the Jones Act, LHWCA, or by the general maritime common law, if you or a loved one has been injured in a boating accident in Florida due to someone else's negligence, whether it happened on a recreational boat, cruise ship or oil rig, contact us as soon as possible for a free consultation.
With almost a million vessels and boats registered in the state, Florida leads the nation in the area of recreational boating business. The mild climate and the vast surroundings of water are always inviting residents and visitors to engage in all sorts of activities, which unfortunately sometimes can lead to tragic events.
If you have been injured in a boat accident or a family member died in a boat accident, we strongly advise you to get in touch with our boating accident attorney based in Miami and we will thoroughly investigate your situation and prepare a solid case. At The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary, we handle maritime accidents with the highest professional and legal standards so that our clients can receive compensation for their physical and emotional suffering.
Quick action is always recommended as the statute of limitation in Florida for maritime accidents states that a lawsuit can be filed within three years of the accident or two years if the boating accident resulted in death. Claims against cruise line operators and tour operators, ferries, and government-owned vessels have a shorter statute of limitation.