If you are hurt by a California fireboat, you may need a lawyer’s help to earn full compensation for your damages and injuries. Since the accident would usually involve a government agency and an incident on navigable waters, victims would often require the help of an attorney specializing in maritime law.
Unfortunately, any injury claim filed with a city or county government will be complex and would usually require special evidence to be successful. Victims aren’t required to have a Maritime lawyer. They are permitted to file a claim and represent themselves, but with the hoops victims are made to jump through, it’s a good idea to speak with an attorney.
When You May Need a Lawyer for Your Case
The severity of your injuries will often determine your need and benefits from having a lawyer represent you. It’s usually when you have a serious injury that a lawyer will help you the most.
A serious injury brings higher medical costs and more lost time at work. These escalating costs trigger insurers, government agencies, and government lawyers to go all in on finding ways to reject or devalue your claim. The City of Los Angeles or the City of San Francisco may fight back, saying you caused your own accident. They may question how seriously you are hurt so they can pay you much less than you need to fully recover.
A skilled attorney fully investigates what happened so that the blame and your injuries can’t be questioned. Then your attorney works to earn you the maximum available for what you’ve been through.
If you are hurt by a careless act by firefighters working on a fireboat, and you come away with these and other serious injuries, a lawyer may be able to help you earn more:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (moderate to severe concussions)
- Tendon, ligament, and muscle tears
- Broken bones
- Serious burn injuries (often a second-degree burn or worse)
- Knee and hip injuries
- Damage to internal organs
- Neck and back injuries (including spinal column damage)
- A serious fireboat accident that hurt a loved one
- A fireboat accident that claimed the life of a loved one
A victim hurt through no fault of their own should receive any support they need to recover. Unfortunately, any case filed against a government entity, like the City of San Francisco, will be complex and require a lot of complicated paperwork. Any foul-up with this paperwork can be used as an excuse to dismiss claims.
Claims filed against the City or County can also come with very short statutes of limitations. Victims may have to alert the fire department of their case within 6 months of an injury or have their claims thrown out.
California Fireboat Dangers
Life along the California Coast comes with some amazing perks, but there are also some unique dangers on and along the water. Boats and docks can catch fire, and suddenly the accessibility to fire crews becomes a major issue.
Fireboats rush out to assist and do an amazing job putting out fires and helping people placed in jeopardy. But in emergencies, mistakes can happen, and people can be hurt needlessly.
Fire departments that cover offshore and bay emergencies must be allowed to work, but crews are also required to show care to other boaters as they respond. When a fire department’s actions put lives in danger, victims should get support until they can recover.
These and other types of accidents might leave a fireboat crew and fire department liable for damages:
- A fireboat strikes another watercraft
- A fireboat strikes swimmers in the water
- A victim is hit and injured by the stream from a firehose
- Being knocked off a pier or off a boat and into the water
- Injuries caused by a firefighter’s carelessness or recklessness, perhaps allowing someone to suffer more severe burn injuries
- The tragic drowning of a loved one that could have been prevented (leading to a Wrongful Death Claim)
Support for Boating Accident Victims
Boating accident victims can suffer unique injuries, and boating incidents involving fires can, of course, always lead to a devastating burn injury.
Victims will need help paying for their medical bills and for the care to help them live with their injuries temporarily or even for a lifetime.
A skilled attorney would make sure these and other factors were covered in any settlement.
- Current hospital expenses and those expected in the future. This must include the costs of medications, medical equipment, and travel expenses for visits to specialists.
- Rehabilitation costs, such as for physical therapy for burn recovery, skin grafts, restorative surgeries, and home care.
- Life-long costs associated with a permanent physical disability.
- Support for physical pain. The devastating effects chronic pain can have on a patient over a lifetime, and the cost of pain medication over months and years.
- Support for emotional distress. The anxiety and depression that can follow a terrible accident on the water, and being unable to enjoy the freedoms the victim once had.
- Paychecks and benefits lost while missing work. Your W-2s will show the money you’ve lost.
The Fireboats California Residents & Visitors May Encounter
Most cities and counties along the Pacific coast will have at least one fireboat designed to pump water to put out fires on boats, piers, and wharfs.
They are used as part of the Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department response to water emergencies. The county, as a part of its lifeguard division, also has Baywatch Rescue Boats. These are smaller rescue boats that can pump water.
The San Francisco Fire Department utilizes several boats in the Bay Area, including the St. Francis fireboat.
The Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol uses a Moose Boat (a catamaran-style boat) for battling fires.
These boats are great, life-saving tools, but they can also be directed into collisions with boaters and people in the water. It’s critical to get quick support to those needlessly hurt in emergency operations. It’s a good idea to take advantage of a free case consultation.
