How do you hold other boaters, boat manufacturers, or related parties liable for accident-causing negligence?
You can turn to a boat accident attorney in Depew for support. The personal injury attorneys with Richmond Vona can help you identify the party that caused your most recent accident. Once we know who bears the blame for your losses, we can take that party to civil court.
Our team boasts years of experience navigating New York State’s civil courts. You can count on our Depew personal injury lawyers to bring forward evidence of another party’s negligence. You can trust us to advocate for your right to fair and comprehensive boating accident compensation.
Understanding Boating Laws in Depew
New York’s Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Department released an updated boater’s guide in 2017. This guide highlights boating best practices in Depew and beyond. Boaters in Depew can refer to the guide for information on required safety equipment, registration paperwork, and waterway laws.
Every boater in Depew has an obligation to stand by these requirements when they take to the water. Each requirement works to protect boaters and other recreationists from dangerous accidents.
Unfortunately, though, there are still parties who will violate these guidelines. Sometimes, those violations result from a boater’s lack of awareness or accidental negligence. Other times, boaters may deliberately violate Depew’s waterway laws.
What can you do in the face of accidental or purposeful negligence? If you’re injured by a negligent party’s misconduct, you can request that a Depew boat accident attorney bring your losses to a judge’s attention.
Criminal Misconduct and Your Right to Recover
Some forms of waterway misconduct constitute criminal offenses in the eyes of New York’s courts. You, however, cannot initiate criminal action against the party liable for your most recent accident. You can only take civil action against an offending party.
That isn’t to say, though, that you shouldn’t keep an ear to the ground. If the state decides to take up a criminal case against one of the parties involved in your accident, pay attention. Criminal convictions constitute proof of negligence in boating accident cases.
In other words, if a liable party gets convicted of criminal misconduct, you should inform a civil judge. That conviction may net you compensation for your losses.
For a free legal consultation with a boat accident lawyer serving Depew, call (716) 300-5885
Taking Action Against a Negligent Party
As mentioned, you have the right to take action against the party you believe to be liable for your recent boating accident. You can specifically:
File an Insurance Claim
New York requires its boaters to have insurance before they hit the water. If you get into an accident with another boater, you can demand that the liable party give you their insurance information. You can then file an insurance claim for damages within the next few days.
You don’t have to communicate with an insurance provider on your own, though. If you feel like a provider’s insurance claims adjusters aren’t taking your concerns seriously, you can call a boat accident lawyer in Depew to mediate on your behalf. Our team can step in and prevent any bad-faith behaviors that might deny you a fair insurance settlement.
Go to New York’s Civil Courts
If you don’t get the compensation you need from a negligent boater’s insurance provider, you can take the offending party to civil court. That said, make sure you act within New York State’s statute of limitations. New York Civil Practice Law & Rules Section 214 gives you no more than three years to act on your losses. Take longer, and you may waive your right to compensation.
Depew Boat Accident Lawyer Near Me (716) 300-5885
What Compensation to Expect From a Boating Accident Claim
Boating accident survivors can use either a personal injury claim or an insurance claim to demand compensation for their waterway losses. What kind of compensation can our team win for you, though? That depends on the nature of your accident. No two cases address the same losses. As such, our attorneys independently calculate the value of each of our clients’ cases.
When you come to our team, we can take both your tangible and intangible boating accident losses into account. Our Depew boat crash lawyers can specifically establish the economic value of your:
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Accident-related medical expenses, including emergency care
- Property damage, replacement, and repair services
- Lost wages or opportunities for alternative employment
- Stress
- Mental anguish
The sum of these losses represents the total value of your boating accident claim.
Negotiating for a Settlement Versus Going to Trial
You can secure compensation for a boating accident through a variety of means. You can, for example, negotiate with the party liable for your accident. Our attorneys can schedule out-of-court conversations between you and a liable party should you want to avoid going to trial.
That said, negotiations don’t always resolve in your favor. The liable party may ask you to reduce the amount of compensation you want for your losses. Worse still, the liable party may refuse to accept blame for your losses. What can you do in these cases?
Our team can initiate trial proceedings against the offending party. We can dive into discovery and prepare you for examination and cross-examination, should you need to take the stand. While it can take some time for a boating accident trial to resolve, you can count on Richmond Vona’s team of attorneys to stand with you throughout the entire process.
You can learn more about settlement negotiations, boat accident trials, and your upcoming fight for compensation today. Schedule a free case evaluation with Richmond Vona.
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Richmond Vona Advocates for Your Right to Financial Support
You want to trust your fellow boaters when you take to Depew’s waterways. Unfortunately, those other boaters don’t always have our best interests at heart. If you fall victim to another party’s negligence, you can bring your losses to the attention of a civil judge. Richmond Vona’s boat accident attorneys in Depew can stand alongside you all the while.
Our team continually advocates for your right to fair compensation following a severe accident. When you turn to our team for representation, you get comprehensive and experienced representation. You can book a case consultation with our team today to learn more about our record of successes. Your first evaluation comes free of charge.
Contact us today to learn more about your right to boating accident compensation.
Call or text (716) 300-5885 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
