For many of us, nothing beats a day spent soaking up the sun, swimming, and enjoying time with friends and family on the lake or river.
As temperatures rise, our waterways become filled with all manner of watercraft, including:
- Sailboats
- Yachts
- Motorboats
- Jet Skis and Wave Runners
- Kayaks and canoes
- Sightseeing cruises
- Fishing boats
Illinois has comprehensive boating laws and regulations in place to ensure that everyone navigates our waters safely. Before launching your watercraft, make sure you’re familiar with these requirements and obtain any necessary safety certifications or licenses.
Completing a boating safety course before operating any watercraft is one of the most effective ways to prevent collisions, serious injuries, and fatalities. While boating should be a safe and enjoyable activity for everyone, serious incidents can occur when operators are careless, often resulting in violating safety regulations.
If you’ve been involved in a catastrophic boating wreck, you don’t have to navigate the aftermath alone. The personal injury attorneys at Spiros Law will thoroughly review your case and handle the complexities of Illinois boating laws and regulations, allowing you to focus on your recovery.
Common Causes of Boating Injuries
Boating incidents can happen at any moment, leading to severe injuries and even fatalities.
To ensure safety, take the same approach to operating a watercraft as you would a car on the road. Pay attention to other boaters, be respectful of them, and obey speed limits, no-wake zones, boating laws, and rights of way.
Here are the most common boating mistakes that can lead to catastrophic injuries:
- Operator Inattention – Just like distracted driving can lead to serious injuries, distracted boating can, too. Severe incidents and collisions with other boats, buoys, swimmers, and submerged objects can occur due to a lack of focus on the water.
- Boating Under the Influence (BUI) – Being under the influence is a leading factor in fatal boat incidents. Operating a watercraft or swimming while impaired by alcohol or drugs significantly increases the risk of a catastrophic incident.
- Excessive Speed – High speeds leave little room for error and make it hard to avoid sudden obstacles. Maintaining a reasonable speed and obeying speed limits are the best ways to prevent speed-related incidents.
- Inexperienced Operators – Lack of proper training or familiarity with waterway rules can contribute to collisions, especially in crowded areas.
- Inclement Weather and Dangerous Water Conditions – Strong winds, waves, and storms can overwhelm even the most experienced boaters. Always check the weather before planning a trip and monitor for any changes.
- Overloading a Boat – While you want everyone to enjoy some boat time, too many people on board can lead to serious consequences, including injuries and fatalities. Overloading is a violation of Illinois law, which can lead to fines and legal liability. Too many people on a boat can interfere with its balanced weight distribution, making it difficult to control and increasing the risk of capsizing or sinking.
- Improper Maintenance or Mechanical Failures – If you’re a boat owner, you have a responsibility to ensure that your vessel is properly maintained. While it is not always preventable, breakdowns of critical components, such as steering or engine systems, can leave you stranded or with an uncontrollable vessel.
Make a Boating Safety Equipment Checklist
Boating safety starts before you hit the water. It’s crucial to make sure you have the appropriate safety equipment on board for you and your crew.
To ensure you don’t forget anything, we recommend making a boating safety equipment checklist before setting sail, including:
- Fire extinguishers
- Personal flotation devices/life jackets
- Boat battery
- Mufflers
- Sound-producing devices, such as whistles
- Visual distress signals, like flares
- Navigation lights
- Ventilation systems
- A first-aid kit
- Non-perishable food and water
According to the Illinois Boat Registration and Safety Act, one of the most common violations observed on lakes is not having the required number of flotation devices. Under state regulation, you must have at least one U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket per individual on board the boat.
What Damages Can You Recover After a Boating Injury?
If you are injured in a boat or jet ski incident due to someone else’s negligence, they can be held liable for your losses. You have the right to fight for justice, and under Illinois law, that justice can come in the form of compensation for your economic and non-economic damages, such as:
- Medical bills
- Disability accommodations for your home or vehicle
- Lost wages and loss of future earnings
- Property damage (compensation for damage to your boat or other personal property)
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Loss of quality of life
- Loss of care, companionship, or consortium (wrongful death suit)
- Emotional distress
- Chronic pain
- Disability or disfigurement
If you are unsure what damages you qualify for, our personal injury attorneys will review your case, collect relevant evidence, and calculate an accurate estimate of your losses.
Our Favorite Illinois Waterways
The team at Spiros Law encourages you to have a fun and safe summer on one of Illinois’s beautiful waterways:
- Lake Springfield – This 4,200-acre reservoir is a popular spot for boating, fishing, and other water sports. It features multiple boat ramps, public parks, and residential areas.
- Lake Shelbyville – A great spot for boating, Lake Shelbyville offers public beaches, campgrounds, trails, and over 11,000 acres of water to explore.
- Lake Vermilion – This county park is a popular choice for boating and fishing near Danville, Illinois. It’s a 1000-acre lake with a boat ramp, dock complex, and concession building.
- Kankakee River State Park -The Kankakee River offers plenty of opportunities for fishing, boating, and other water activities.
Contact Your Illinois Boating Injury Lawyers Today
When a day out on the boat becomes a disaster, you have the legal right to pursue justice. Call Spiros Law to get started on your case today. Our experienced attorneys can navigate the aftermath of your boating injury with solid legal knowledge.
We proudly serve clients throughout Illinois, with offices conveniently located in Champaign, Kankakee, and Danville. Our dedicated team of personal injury attorneys strives to protect the rights of injury victims.
Whether you have endured a catastrophic injury like head trauma or lost a loved one to drowning due to someone else’s negligence, we care about the outcome of every client’s case. Our lawyers will do everything in their power to help you get justice for your personal and financial losses.
