Lake Sonoma offers the perfect boating and winery getaway for people across Northern California and the Bay Area. The sun is good for grapes and for watersports.
This beautiful lake’s 50-miles of shoreline is a little over an hour and a half from San Francisco and right in the heart of Wine Country in Sonoma County.
People who go for the views and to enjoy fishing and swimming must, unfortunately, also keep one eye out for careless boaters. An inexperienced or reckless boat operator puts everyone using the lake at risk of collisions and other accidents.
It’s important that victims see to their injuries immediately. Then, later, they need to act to make sure they aren’t saddled with the recovery costs for an accident they weren’t to blame for.
Schedule a Free Consultation After a Boating Accident on Lake Sonoma
There’s no need to stress over your boating accident while wondering if it’s worth filing an insurance claim over. Contact Maison Law of California to find out what your injury is worth. It’s also a great time to discuss if there may be more than one party responsible for providing you with injury support.
It’s a no-risk way to go over your best options as your hospital bills pile up and you miss more and more time at work. This consultation is with a real California boating accident lawyer and comes with no obligation to you.
Boating Dangers on Lake Sonoma
A trip out on Lake Sonoma makes for the perfect day, but it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure a day at the lake is safe and accident-free.
Unfortunately, just like being on a California freeway, no matter how safe you drive, it’s often impossible to avoid all the mistakes other drivers make.
These are just some of the things boating officials say most commonly lead to accidents on California lakes:
- Boating Operator Carelessness – Boat skippers are required to keep a constant watch on everything around them. Boats should never get close enough to swimmers or other boats to cause a collision. But due to a lack of focus, boat operators cause devastating accidents.
- Boating Operator Recklessness – Beyond just being inattentive, boat captains can also drive aggressively or try unsafe stunts. They might hit the gas and travel way too fast. Lake Sonoma has a speed limit of 50 mph, but that’s not the speed limit in all parts of the lake. Boaters must slow down to travel at safe speeds for conditions. When there are too many boats around, speeds must be dropped.
- Boating Operator Inexperience – Boat operators may have very little experience handling a boat. Their actions could harm people in the boat or people in other boats. A boat operator may be too young to handle the responsibilities of steering. The parents or guardians of that negligent driver may be liable for the injuries others suffer in an accident. The California Department of Parks and Recreation requires a boat operator to be 16 years of age or older and in possession of his/her California Boater Card to drive a vessel powered by a motor of 15 hp or more, including personal watercraft. Persons 12 to 15 years of age may operate a similar vessel if they are supervised on board by a person at least 18 years of age and in possession of a California Boater Card.
- Alcohol Use – According to the US Coast Guard, the use of alcohol is involved in about a third of all recreational boating fatalities. Boaters are required to stay under .08% Blood Alcohol Levels just like a motorist. The sun, wind, engine noise, and motion of the boat can leave boaters impaired even faster than if they were on land. That impairment can lead to poor decisions and dangerous collisions.
- Boat Mechanical Failure – A part on a boat might malfunction and send a watercraft into an accident. The design of a boat might be flawed and create a situation where a boat operator loses control. A Sonoma County Boating Accident Attorney can help you hold a major corporation responsible for boat defects.
Who Is Responsible for an Accident on Lake Sonoma?
Boating operators are often the first to face injury claims after causing an accident. The owner of the boat, even if they aren’t present at the time, might also be held liable in an insurance claim.
When boaters have rented a watercraft or paid for a boat tour, the businesses involved can be held liable. A rental company is responsible for anyone it provides with a boat. They are also responsible for providing safe boats stocked with the proper safety equipment.
Boat touring companies must provide safe boat captains for the trip. A skilled California Boat Accident Lawyer isn’t afraid to take on the lawyers that sometimes represent these companies to secure full compensation for victims of a reckless captain.
Boat manufacturers are responsible for accidents their negligent handiwork causes. Unsafe boats and faulty safety equipment cause harm to boaters every year.
Marina operators might also share in liability when an accident happens while a boat is docked. Owners and operators face liability when an injury occurs on the marina itself due to the negligence of a marina worker.
Lake Sonoma Wrongful Death and Drowning Cases
Careless boating behavior can so easily rob families of a precious loved one. Close relatives will face the intense pain of the loss while also experiencing the financial hardships that often follow a fatal accident.
Families are encouraged to file a boating accident wrongful death claim against at-fault parties and their insurance providers. A spouse and children of the deceased will seek money to pay for a memorial service and burial and any lingering medical bills from the tragic accident.
Families should also request full support for the hardships to come in the future. They’ll be without the guidance and income a victim can no longer provide for loved ones.
Contact a California Boat Accident Attorney
Insurance representatives for at-fault parties in boating accidents will be calling you after your accident. They will request that you give them a recorded statement about what happened. Decline this request. Insurance adjusters are hoping you’ll say something they can twist to their advantage later. Instead of providing them with a reason to unfairly deny your claim, refer them to your personal injury lawyer.
Contact a skilled California Boating Accident Lawyer like Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law. He offers a free, no-obligation case evaluation to all victims and their family members. If you choose Mr. Gasparian to represent your boating injury claim, you won’t need any money. He doesn’t get paid unless he wins your case.
