Each year, the U.S. Coast Guard releases recreational boating statistics that detail the number of boating accidents and fatalities that occurred that year. These statistics include data on “water jet” vehicles, or personal watercraft, also colloquially referred to as “jet skis.”
In 2023, data shows 1,134 jet skis were involved in accidents in the United States. A total of 660 collided with another recreational vehicle, and 52 people died.
Consumer group JetDrift reviewed years of Coast Guard data and concluded that jet skis are involved in about 20 percent of all reported accidents, making them more dangerous than boats or other vessels. Because jet skis offer less protection for the rider, they can also cause more catastrophic injuries.
Our Virginia Beach boating accident attorneys understand how traumatic a jet ski accident can be, particularly when it results from someone else’s negligence. If you or a loved one was seriously injured in a boating or jet ski accident through no fault of your own, we may be able to help.
Virginia Law Tries to Protect Boaters and Watercraft Users
Virginia has enacted several laws in an attempt to help protect boaters and other watercraft users from injury. These include, but are not limited to:
- All operators of motorboats with at least a 10-horsepower engine must complete a boater safety course.
- All operators of jet skis must complete a boater safety course.
- No person under the age of 14 may operate a jet ski.
- Operators must wear a Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device.
- Operators must not ride between sunset and sunrise.
- Operators must not carry more passengers than the number for which the craft was designed.
- Operators must go at the slowest possible speed required to maintain control and headway within fifty feet of docks, piers, boathouses, boat ramps, people in the water, and other vessels.
Negligent Operators May Be Held Liable for Injuries
If you were struck and injured by a negligent operator, you may have a personal injury claim. Negligent operation of a watercraft may include:
- Weaving through vessels that are underway, stopped, moored, or at anchor while exceeding a reasonable speed.
- Following another vessel or person on water skis or similar device, crossing the path of another vessel, or jumping the wake of another vessel more closely than is reasonable and prudent.
- Crossing between a towing vessel and a person on water skis or other device.
- Steering toward an object or person and turning sharply to spray or attempt to spray the person or object with the wash or jet spray.
These behaviors can lead to serious accidents that significantly affect the victims’ lives.
When to Call a Jet Ski Personal Injury Attorney
Even if you follow all the rules on the water, other operators may not. Though it may seem like the operator of the other vehicle—whether a boat or a jet ski—is always at fault in an accident, our Virginia Beach boat accident attorneys know that other parties may be involved as well.
- The rental company: Jet ski rental companies must operate under strict laws to ensure the safety of their customers. If we find that the company that rented you the jet ski did not follow those laws—perhaps they gave you an improperly sized life jacket or failed to maintain the jet ski properly—they may be held liable for damages that result from their negligence.
- The manufacturing company: If the jet ski malfunctioned in a way that caused or led to the accident, our investigation may determine that the manufacturer was at fault. Sometimes, they don’t correctly design or manufacture certain parts of the machine, leading to problems that contribute to accidents.
- The watercraft operator: If another operator strikes you or otherwise causes an accident, they may be held liable for damages. You and your boating attorney will need to prove that they were negligent.
Even if you believe you were partly at fault for the accident, contact our Virginia Beach boat accident attorneys for a free consultation. We will examine the evidence to determine if you may still recover damages, as we did for this client who suffered injuries on a charter fishing boat. We helped negotiate a $150,000 settlement with the insurance company.
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Andrew Stover limits his law practice exclusively to personal injury law. Andrew is a member of the American Association for Justice, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, and the Virginia Beach Bar Association.
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