Now that Easter Monday has come and gone, it is full speed ahead to summer. There are plenty of ways to have fun in the water in Louisiana in the warmest months of the year, but the lakes and bayous of Louisiana have their share of danger. If you swim in freshwater in Louisiana and nearby states, you are sharing the water with alligators. It is not just your imagination that the gators seem to be getting bolder about swimming near humans. Remember last summer, when a gator bit a young boy who was swimming with a group of friends in Lake Pontchartrain? It was just a nip, and the boy’s father quickly told the gator to get lost, which it did. It is a frightening thought that plenty of other gators are probably lurking near your chosen swimming spot.
If that is not scary enough, unchlorinated freshwater is also home to the Naegleria fowleri amoeba, which can cause a rare but deadly form of encephalitis if lake water goes up your nose. Of course, machines can be just as much of a danger as the creatures of the natural world. Jet skiing is a popular form of summer recreation in Louisiana, but jet ski collisions can cause serious injury. If you have been injured in a jet ski accident in Louisiana, contact a Houma maritime injury lawyer.
Jet Ski Collides With Boat on Bayou Teche
As the sun was setting on Wednesday, April 1, some residents of St. Mary Parish were enjoying their spring break by riding small vessels on Bayou Teche, which is part of the Lower Atchafalaya River. Everything was fine until a jet ski, on which two people were riding, collided with a small boat on which three people were riding. All five occupants fell into the water. Fortunately, another boat was passing by, and its occupant was able to bring all five people to the shore and call for help; by the time the emergency personnel arrived, the boat had brought the people involved in the accident to shore, but they had all suffered substantial injuries and required transport to the hospital. As of the time of publication of news reports, at least one of the injured people was in critical condition.
Who is Legally Responsible for Jet Ski Accidents?
As with motor vehicles, comparative fault can apply in maritime accidents where two vessels collide. In the Bayou Teche accident, fault may rest with the boat captain, the jet ski driver, or both. When people rent jet skis and get injured, the jet ski rental company or the commercial marina where the customers ride the jet skis may be liable under premises liability laws. Their negligence might lie in failure to maintain the jet skis properly or to authorize too many customers to ride in a small area, increasing the risk of collisions.
Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About Personal Injury Cases
A personal injury lawyer can help you if you were injured in a preventable accident involving a jet ski collision. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana, to set up a consultation about your case.
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