WHO HANDLES BOAT CRASHES IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA?
The first thing you need to know in choosing an attorney in handling a boat crash injury or death situation is what law applies to Florida boat crashes. The overwhelming majority of boat crash cases in Florida are governed by “maritime” law, not the laws of Florida. This is because all of the offshore areas, the Florida coastline, the intracoastal, rivers leading to the Gulf or Atlantic, Lake Okeechobee, Lake George and most other areas of Florida fall under maritime law.
HERE IS WHY IT MATTERS
Here is why that matters to your boat crash case. Most all of the TV advertising attorneys, billboard attorneys, signs-on-the-bus attorneys handle automobile injury cases. Yes, automobile injury cases are governed by Florida law; boating crash cases are not. What that means is if you choose an auto accident law firm to handle your boating crash case most of them do not practice in the law—maritime law—that does apply to your case. Yes, the auto accident attorneys all say they handle boating accident cases. Should you choose an attorney who actually does practice in the correct law that affects your case, or do you go with an auto accident attorney who probably does not even know the statute of limitations for your case. At www.888BoatLaw.com we have been successfully handling boating crash cases in Florida for over 25 years. We know the law that applies to your case inside and out, and it is because we are handling boating injury cases every day of the week.
TEST THE ATTORNEY
If you are speaking with another attorney about potentially representing you in your boating crash case, put them to the test. Ask them what is the statute of limitations in your case. If they cannot answer you immediately then you have your answer on whether they actually know the laws that apply to your case. (For most boating crash cases the statute of limitations is going to be 3 years, unless it is involves a death.) 46 U.S.C § 30106 holds that “except as otherwise provided by law, a civil action for damages for personal injury or death arising out of a maritime tort must be brought within three years after the cause of action arose”. State statutes of limitations are not applicable and are preempted for maritime torts, Becker v. Harken, Inc., 2007 WL 473089 (S.D. Fla. 2007).
There are other considerations that could affect the statute of limitations for your case—and at www.888BoatLaw.com we know them. This is why it is important to talk with us about the facts of your specific case.
A RECENT EXAMPLE IS INSTRUCTIVE
We recently placed an ad on a job-listing service to add on an additional staff member. (Business is good, we are good at what we do.) When the applicant told us in the interview: 1. She had been injured on a cruise ship, and 2. She was working for an auto accident law firm who was trying to handle her cruise ship injury—we asked whether the applicant had been told her cruise ship case had a 1-year statute of limitations. No she had not been told that. Worse, the auto accident attorneys were not even aware of the statute of limitations. The applicant signed up with us at www.888BoatLaw.com that same day. This is why it is important not to make the mistake of allowing the auto accident attorneys to handle your boating crash case. You would never allow a podiatrist to perform a heart surgery on you.
THE INSURANCE COMPANIES WILL KNOW
In a boat crash case the insurance companies will know whether you have chosen a law firm that specializes in boat crash cases, or you have chosen an auto accident law firm that deals only with automobile law. The insurance companies who insure vessels know who has successfully fought them on many prior cases, or whether it is an auto accident law firm they have never heard of. Note: the boating insurance company is going to hire defense attorneys and employ adjusters against you who do assuredly know what they are doing. The defense attorneys will be veteran maritime defense attorneys who know the ins and outs of maritime law and will use their knowledge against a car accident attorney. In the above example, cruise lines for instance do not give you a second chance once the statute of limitations is missed, Your boating crash case is too important to leave to chance. You need a law firm who has handled boating crash cases, knows the laws that apply to your case, and has battled the insurance companies and defense attorneys that will be fighting against you.
At www.888BoatLaw.com you can have confidence in our more than 25 years of successfully handling boating crash cases. At www.888BoatLaw.com our firm fights for injured boat crash victims throughout all of Florida. Choose knowledge. Choose experience. And, there is never a fee unless we win the case for you.
SUMMARY
- Your boat crash injury in almost every instance does not involve Florida law, it involves maritime law which is different than car-accident law.
- Car accident attorneys practice in car accident law, not boating law.
- The insurance companies don’t hire car accident attorneys to fight your boating crash claim, they hire boat law defense attorneys to fight you.
- 4. At www.888BoatLaw.com we have been successfully fighting for injured boat crash victims for 25 years.
