Boating Accidents

Many Blount County residents and visitors enjoy boating on Blount County’s lakes. Unfortunately, some of them are involved in boating accidents.

As in other types of accidents, when a person is injured in a boating accident caused by someone else’s negligence, or by a defective product (such as a component of the boat), the injured party may bring a claim for compensation for his or her resulting medical bills, pain and suffering, wages lost due to the injury, related property damage (such as damage to the boat itself), and more.

In Blount County as elsewhere, boating accidents are often caused by boat operators who become distracted or who operate the boat while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. In egregious cases, where the conduct of the person at fault was particularly shocking, the injured victims may seek “punitive damages,” as well: such “damages” are an additional sum of money intended to function as a fine, to punish and deter similar conduct.

According to the Tennessee Boating Accident Statistical Report prepared by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the most common boating accidents in Tennessee in 2009 were collisions between boats. Among boating accidents that did not involve whitewater activities, the leading cause of accidents was alcohol use. Falls overboard caused the greatest number of injuries that year, and 22 people died in boating accidents in Tennessee in 2009.

If you or someone you love suffered severe injuries as a result of a boating accident in Blount County or elsewhere in Tennessee, please contact Maryville personal injury attorney Mark C. Hartsoe as soon as possible. For more than two decades, Mr. Hartsoe has successfully represented individuals and families in pursuit of compensation for harm they suffered as a result of someone else’s actions. In cases in which boating accidents lead to fatalities, Mr. Hartsoe is ready to represent families bringing “wrongful death”.

From its offices in Blount County and Knoxville, the Hartsoe Law Firm offers each client responsive, personalized, results-oriented representation. Mr. Hartsoe meets with clients at their convenience, during evenings as well as weekends, in their hospital rooms or in their homes—or, if they prefer, in his office located in a Blount County farmhouse.

To discuss the details of your boating accident with an experienced and caring Tennessee personal injury attorney, please contact the Hartsoe Law Firm today by calling 865-804-1011, or filling out and submitting our online “Contact Us” form.