Jet Ski Injury Settlement Examples

Jet skis provide operators with an intimate connection with the sea. While seemingly floating through the air, you feel a sense of exhilaration that does not develop during other types of water recreational activities. Jet skis also serve a practical purpose, as many users ride the personal watercraft from one dock to another dock located on the other side of a bay. However, jet skis have received a not-so-favorable moniker.

They have been called the “motorcycles of the sea.”

As with motorcycles, jet ski users experience an above-average number of accidents. From reckless riding to inexperienced operators, jet skis account for more than one-third of all accidents that involve some type of water vessel. Although jet ski collisions produce minor injuries in some cases, the reported accidents involving personal watercraft tend to cause more serious injuries than the injuries caused by other types of boating collisions.

Let’s learn a little more about jet ski accidents before reviewing three jet ski injury settlement examples.

What Are the Damages Associated with a Jet Ski Settlement?

The personal injury attorneys at Morgan & Morgan work hard to reach favorable settlements for our clients. Our goal is to ensure our clients receive what they deserve for both special and general damages.

Special damages represent the financial losses experienced by our clients. Harder to prove, general damages do not have a specific dollar amount attached to them. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you recover general damages from a jet ski settlement case.

As we will see with our jet ski injury settlement examples, our clients can receive several different types of special damages.

Medical Expenses

Medical costs comprise the most substantial part of an award for special damages. This is especially true if you suffer from one or more serious injuries that resulted from a jet ski accident. The key to reaching a favorable settlement for special damages is to submit persuasive evidence in the form of medical records.

Here is a list of the most frequent healthcare costs for a victim of a jet ski accident:

•       Emergency care
•       Diagnostic tests
•       Treatments
•       Rehabilitation devices and services
•       Prescription drugs
•       Hospital bills

Make sure to save every record that pertains to your medical care. One of the highly-rated personal injury attorneys at Morgan & Morgan can help you organize the healthcare records before presenting them to the other party’s insurance company.

Lost Income

Jet ski collisions can cause serious, even life-threatening injuries. If you had to miss work because of one or more injuries that were caused by a jet ski accident, you might qualify for special damages that cover lost income. Your wages and the time that you missed work is how your personal injury lawyer will calculate the amount of your lost income.

As with medical expenses, you need to present evidence that you missed work. Your employer can provide timekeeping records and you chip in by submitting copies of your bank statements during the time you were absent from your job.

Property Damage

As another category for special damages, property damage can include damage to your jet skis. It can also include damage to valuables such as jewelry and electronics. Make sure not to repair your jet skis until you speak with a personal injury lawyer. Your attorney can assess the damage and then come up with a reasonable cost that special damages covers. Save every copy of the bills that prove you had to pay out of pocket for the property damage caused by a jet ski collision.

Pain and Suffering

Now we get to the general damages category. Pain and suffering does not produce hard evidence, such as a wage statement or a medical record. To win general damages for pain and suffering, you need to work with a jet ski accident lawyer who has experience winning general damages for clients.

Pain and suffering covers one or more of the following:

•       Fear
•       Anxiety
•       Anguish
•       Emotional distress
•       Losing the enjoyment of life

The mental and/or emotional duress that triggers pain and suffering can come in a wide variety of forms. You might have difficulty falling asleep at night or your enthusiasm for participating in water sports has disappeared.
Whatever the sign of pain and suffering, a personal injury attorney from Morgan & Morgan can help you recover the general damages that are associated with mental and/or emotional distress.

What Happens When an Insurance Company Makes a Low Settlement Offer?

When you read articles that discuss jet ski injury settlement examples, you can expect at least some of the cases to include a low settlement offer made by the other party’s insurance company. This means you should prepare for the insurance company representing the other party to submit a low offer in an attempt to settle your claim. You should not accept the first settlement offer made by an insurance company.

Hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer helps you respond to a low jet ski accident settlement offer. Experienced personal injury attorneys possess the best negotiation skills to deliver the highest settlements possible for their clients. Talk with your attorney about what you think you deserve in terms of special and general damages, and then your lawyer will work hard to negotiate a favorable settlement for you.

Jet Ski Injury Settlement Examples

Jet ski injury examples provide us with a wide variety of legal scenarios that in our first example, ended in tragedy.

Verdict Against Yamaha

Not every jet ski accident involves some type of collision. Manufacturers also can be on the financial hook for product liability lawsuits. Such was the case in Boca Raton, Florida when two Florida families sued jet ski manufacturer Yamaha and won nearly $40 million in damages.

The team of lawyers representing both families presented overwhelming evidence that a steering defect caused jet skis to collide. The judge overseeing the civil case found Yamaha guilty of gross negligence because the company knew about the steering defect, but it did nothing to fix the problem. One teenager lost his life and a second teen is mentally scarred and physically disfigured for life.

The case took almost five years to resolve after a six-week trial found the defendant guilty of all negligence charges.

A Much Lower Profile Case

Personal injury accident cases range from settlements that run into the tens of thousands of dollars to civil awards that exceed $100 million. This case covers the lower part of the financial spectrum, as Adran Rowan won a $34,000 settlement from a defendant who caused an accident because of operating jet skis at a dangerously high speed.

Rowan suffered injuries to both knees, as well as to one hip. One crucial piece of evidence came from a witness who shot moving footage that proved the defendant operated his jet skis negligently. This case demonstrates the importance of getting supportive evidence from a witness.

Recklessness in a Small Cove

A jet ski operator entered a small cove tugging a raft. When the operator turned to leave the cove, the raft swung farther out than the jet skis operator had anticipated. Both the defendant and the plaintiffs estimated the raft was moving around 20 miles per hour at the time of the accident. Although the defendant admitted legal liability for causing the accident, he contested the award given to the three plaintiffs that exceeded $1 million.

Not only did the three passengers in the raft receive special damages for suffering from mild brain injuries, but the plaintiffs’ attorney was also able to convince a judge to compensate one of the plaintiffs for suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The awarding of damages for PTSD demonstrates the possibility of receiving compensation for suffering from emotional distress.

Ask for Legal Help

Have you received one or more injuries that were caused by an operator of jet skis? You might qualify for special and/or general damages. The accomplished team of personal injury attorneys at Morgan & Morgan can help you become another one of the many jet ski injury settlement examples.

Contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation.