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Were you or someone you love hurt in a boating accident?

If you or a family member was hurt on a boat, jet ski, or other watercraft, you are in the right place.

Are you in an emergency right now?

  • Check yourself and others for injuries, and keep everyone afloat with life jackets.
  • Call 911 or the Coast Guard (VHF channel 16) if anyone is hurt or the boat is taking on water.
  • Get everyone to shore or a stable location if it is safe to move.
  • Get medical care even if you feel fine.
  • This page is for after you are safe.

This page covers boating accident claim deadlines and what to do right now. We are the injured person's advocate. We connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves. Always free. Talk to an advocate. We usually reply within minutes, at most one business day.

In 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) recorded 3,887 recreational boating accidents, 556 deaths, and 2,170 nonfatal injuries, the fewest fatalities since the USCG began tracking this data more than 50 years ago (USCG 2024 Recreational Boating Statistics). Alcohol was the leading known factor in fatal accidents, involved in about 20% of deaths.

Why boating cases are tricky

Alcohol is a factor in a large share of fatal boating accidents, and it can affect who is held responsible, including in some cases a business that sold alcohol to someone visibly impaired or underage. Note whether alcohol was involved so an advocate can look into it.

Boating rules, licensing requirements, and reporting deadlines are set state by state and can differ sharply from your state's regular injury deadline. Check your state on our state pages.

The boat operator, the boat owner, a rental company, a marina, or a manufacturer can all be involved depending on what caused the accident, and evidence disappears fast on the water. A timely accident report and quick documentation matter more than on land.

Protect your case

  1. Get medical care first. A doctor can document injuries like internal trauma or a head injury that are not obvious right away.
  2. Talk to an advocate at WeHelpInjured. It is free.
  3. Report the accident. Most states require a written boating accident report for serious injuries, deaths, or major property damage, often within a set number of days. Check your state's boating agency.
  4. Write down what happened while it is fresh: weather, water conditions, who was operating the boat, and whether alcohol was involved.
  5. Get names and contact information for anyone else on the water who saw what happened.
  6. Warning: don't wait! The filing deadline is a trap. Boating claims can run on a different clock than a regular injury claim, so people wait, and waiting kills cases. The longer you wait, the fuzzier memories get and witnesses scatter. Talk to an advocate immediately. A crash tied to a hospital stay can carry a shorter medical deadline, so do not assume the standard rule covers your case. Find your state on our state pages.

Never do these

What real boating accident cases have paid

This is a publicly reported result. It is an example only. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice. No one can promise or predict what any case is worth, and many cases resolve for far less.

When it goes wrong: a true story

Mallory Beach was a passenger on a boat driven by 19-year-old Paul Murdaugh, who had used a fake ID to buy alcohol before the crash. The boat struck a bridge piling in Beaufort County, South Carolina, and Mallory did not survive. Her family spent years pursuing accountability, which eventually led to a $15 million settlement with the store that sold the alcohol (CBS News, Rolling Stone). A single reckless decision by someone else changed everything. Talk to an advocate before you accept any offer from an insurer.

What we can help with

We help you make sense of your state's boating accident report and licensing requirements, understand what documentation to gather, and connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours. All of it is free to you. We never take money from injured people.

Talk to an advocate. A boating accident can turn a good day into a hard one fast.

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