A boating collision on the local waters around Fort Myers, FL can easily leave you dealing with damage, possible injuries, and questions about what comes next. Getting advice from a boating accident attorney right away can make a real difference in how things turn out for you
Steps to Take After a Fort Myers, FL Boating Accident
Keep Everyone Safe
Stop the boat safely if you can and check every person on board for injuries. Look for bleeding, broken bones, or anyone who seems dazed or in pain. If anyone needs urgent help, call 911 or use your VHF radio to reach the Coast Guard right then. Give first aid only if you know what you’re doing and conditions allow it.
Document Everything While Details Are Fresh
Take photos and short videos from multiple angles before anything gets moved or changed. Try to capture the damage to both boats, any debris in the water, the position of the vessels, weather and water conditions, and any visible injuries. Use your phone’s GPS or a marker to note the exact location.
Write down or record the other operator’s name, address, phone number, boat registration number, and insurance details, if they have any. Get the same information from any passengers or witnesses, along with their contact info and a quick note of what they saw.
Report the Collision Properly
The law requires that you make a written report when a boating collision causes bodily injury, death, the disappearance of anyone, or property damage that looks like it’ll cost $2,000 or more. You must also notify authorities immediately if there’s a serious issue of any kind.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) or the local sheriff’s marine unit usually handles these reports. Call them as soon as you can after securing the scene and getting medical help. Even when a report is not strictly required, filing one creates an official record that can protect you.
Handle Insurance and Other Communications Carefully
Call your own insurance company to report the incident, but stick to basic facts when you talk to them. Don’t discuss fault, give recorded statements, or accept any settlement offer from the other operator’s insurer without having a lawyer review it first. Insurance companies often try to close these cases quickly and cheaply, hoping that you don’t yet know how much money you’re really owed.
Call a Boating Accident Attorney
Bringing in an attorney early in the process can change how the rest of it will go. They can step in and manage talks with insurance companies, properly investigate the cause of the accident and who was at fault, and gather the right evidence or experts as needed to prove all this. They’ll also track all your medical costs, lost wages, and the impact this has had on your daily life and work to recover fair compensation for those losses, plus pain and suffering.
If a boating collision has disrupted your time on the water, call Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice, Purtz, Smith & Smith, P.A. in Fort Myers, FL now at 239-500-4878 for a free consultation. We also serve clients in Cape Coral, Naples, Lehigh Acres, and Port Charlotte.