Lexington, South Carolina Boat Accident Lawyers
Our personal injury attorneys will fight for your rights
Boat accidents in South Carolina often result in serious injuries. In an instant, you or a loved one can sustain a severe injury in a boating accident on Lake Murray or another lake in South Carolina. Suddenly, you may not be able to work. You may not be able to walk or perform other routine tasks. When that happens, you need an experienced attorney on your side, looking out for your best interests.
Our Lexington, SC boating accident lawyers at Johnson + Johnson Attorneys at Law can help you every step of the way. We know South Carolina’s laws. We understand how the legal system works here. That’s because our attorneys – brothers Kevin and Steven Johnson – were born and raised in Lexington. You can count on us when it matters most.
How did your boat accident happen?
Boating accidents can be some of the most serious personal injury cases we deal with in the greater Columbia area. There are many causes of boating accidents, but most aren’t really “accidents” at all; they’re a result of careless or reckless behavior behind the wheel of a boat.
- Drinking and boating: alcohol use is common among recreational boaters, and boating under the influence (BUI) is just as dangerous as driving drunk. Drunk boaters may crash into other vessels or harm people on their own vessels with reckless maneuvering. Alcohol use is the leading cause of boating fatalities.
- Operator inattention and improper lookout: the wind and weather are unpredictable on the water, so operators and lookouts need to watch out for signs of danger. Distraction is the leading cause of boat accidents overall.
- Excessive speed: waterways have speed limits just like roads and going too fast for the conditions can cause serious accidents.
- Operator inexperience: boating isn’t as tightly regulated as driving, and operators may get behind the wheel of a boat with far less training and experience than they have behind the wheel of a car.
One of the great joys of living in our area is enjoying the open water on Lake Murray and elsewhere in South Carolina, but taking advantage of that privilege comes with responsibility. Negligent boaters need to be held accountable. Whatever the circumstances of your boating accident, you can count on our law firm to protect your rights every step of the way.
Who is liable for a boat accident?
Again, most boat accidents are caused by negligence on the part of an operator, so normally that operator (and by extension their insurance company) has to pay for the damages. That’s often true even if the accident was related to inclement weather or hazardous conditions on the water. You can’t sue Mother Nature, but you can hold someone accountable for going too fast for the conditions or otherwise acting recklessly when they should have been paying attention and putting safety first.
Sometimes, the responsible party in a boat accident is the manufacturer of the boat itself or another defective product such as defective safety equipment.
Remember, you didn’t do anything wrong. You shouldn’t have to pay for someone else’s mistake. An experienced attorney can get to the bottom of what happened and hold the negligent party or parties accountable.
Why you need a lawyer for a boat accident
Personal injury cases of all types are won and lost based on evidence. When an accident happens on the water, an immediate investigation is critical because the evidence can disappear fast. An experienced lawyer who knows South Carolina law can interview witnesses, review physical evidence, pore over documents, and retain experts if necessary to prove your claim – while you focus on healing.
The boater who caused your accident may deny doing anything wrong, or even blame you. The insurance company may deny your claim or offer you a “lowball” settlement that doesn’t cover the full cost of your accident. Boat accident claims can get complicated quickly, but you don’t have to go it alone.
Talk to a boating accident attorney at our law firm. We can examine the details of your case and explain all the legal options available to you.
We know the stakes in boating accidents. Get Johnson + Johnson for justice.
The stakes are high after your boating accident. Depending on the severity of your boating injuries and the length of your recovery, your accident-related expenses (medical bills, lost income, etc.) can easily add up to thousands of dollars or more. And it’s not just the financial impact; it’s the effects on your life.
We understand firsthand how devastating boating accidents can be because we lost our sister to a negligent boater on Lake Murray. Representing people hurt by negligence on the water is personal to us. We know how to match the insurance companies shot for shot, hold reckless boaters accountable, and get victims the compensation they need to rebuild their lives.
Get serious about your boating accident. Get Johnson + Johnson. Contact our law firm and schedule your free case evaluation with a South Carolina law firm that cares about your case. One of our Lexington boating accident lawyers will deal with insurance companies on your behalf or anyone else that stands in your way for justice. If they give us a hard time, we will not hesitate to file a boating accident lawsuit on your behalf.
Johnson + Johnson – a new class of attorney serious about winning your case.
