A great day on the water suddenly resulted in serious injuries when the new boat you rented malfunctioned. There was a bad accident. You’re an experienced boater, and you didn’t do anything wrong. You tried to steer away from that pier in plenty of time, but the boat didn’t turn. It seemed like the steering wheel just locked. You were able to slow the boat but hit the pier anyway. Boats don’t have brakes. You and your passengers have been injured. Now you want to know what recourse you have.
The marina
The coast guard investigation showed that something went wrong very quickly with the power steering fluid. There wasn’t any in the reservoir. It was all on the bottom of the boat’s bilge. The power steering fluid line was disconnected from the reservoir. It wasn’t that way when you checked the bilge before signing off on the boat for the day. You probably have a case against the marina that you rented the boat from for negligence. Either they failed to service the power steering unit in a safe and careful manner, or they knew or should have known of a loose hose clamp on the power steering fluid reservoir before they rented the boat to you. The marina could be held liable for the injuries to you and your passengers.
The manufacturer
You rented a new boat and the hour meter on it confirmed it was new because it said that the engine had only run for 18 hours. The boat is a product. As a renter of the boat, you’re a consumer of that product. If a person is injured as a result of an unsafe product, they could have a cause of action under product liability law. The manufacturer of a product can be held strictly liable for defects in the design, production or assembly of a product that causes injuries. Product liability actions could be brought against the manufacturers of the boat, the power steering fluid reservoir, the hose and the hose clamp.
Although these are complex cases, the experienced injury attorney knows how to properly bring both the negligence and product liability cases against all of the entities that are responsible for the boat’s malfunction.
For a free and immediate consultation with Hillsborough County personal injury lawyer Bryan Caulfield, call him at 1-800-535-2529 orcontact Bryan online. You only pay a fee or costs once Bryan has won your case. If no recovery is made, you owe nothing.