Boating Accidents

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Boating Accidents

While our area is not known as a watercraft hot spot, we are in close proximity to a number of recreation areas with lakes. We also have miles of navigable water passages through the Rock, Pecatonica, Sugar, Apple, and Fox Rivers. That being said, accidents do happen, from a watercraft operator being under the influence while operating a boat, to possible negligent watercraft operation that could lead to an accident while water skiing, tubing, wakeboarding, or other water-based activity. Water-based accidents can be especially dangerous to passengers, as seatbelts are not common, and if someone is in the water, they are unprotected from other watercrafts and the moving parts of boat engines.

Some common types of injuries are the following:

  • Head, Neck, or Spinal Injuries from being tossed around a boat after a collision or sudden stop.
  • Injuries from colliding against another person
  • Injuries from being thrown out of the boat
  • Injuries from the boat itself after being thrown out of the watercraft

Illinois Time Limits on Filing Suit

Illinois sets a time limit of two years to file a personal injury lawsuit in the state’s civil court system. In most cases, this two-year time limit, known as a “statute of limitations,” begins to run on the date of the accident. Sometimes, however, a statute of limitations might run from the date that you discovered you were injured, rather than the date of the event that injured you. This later date is known as a “discovery date.”

For injury claims against a city or county, you have one year to file a lawsuit. The time limit to sue the state is generally two years, but you must file a formal claim within one year in order to sue.

A qualified personal injury attorney can help guide you through this difficult time and alleviate some of the stress.

Contact Us for a Free Consultation

For a confidential, compassionate, in-depth, free, and, most importantly, thorough consultation with a Rockford Personal Injury Lawyer about your boating accident injury case in Rockford, Belvidere, Freeport, Rochelle, Oregon, Loves Park, Byron, Machesney Park, Roscoe, Rockton, or elsewhere in the State of Illinois, call or text message us at (815) 391-0089, or e-mail us 24/7/365. We offer in-office consultations, and routinely make visits to clients’ homes, hospital rooms, nursing homes, and other off-site locations to make retaining our services as easy as possible.

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