Jet Ski accident

March 14, 2017

Jet Skiers Almost Hit by a Carnival Cruise Ship in Port Canaveral, Florida

MIAMI, Florida–Two spring-breakers quickly saw the fun and thrill of riding a jet ski turn to the terror of almost getting run over by a cruise ship. This past Saturday, two jet skiers were riding on these personal watercrafts right by the mouth of the Port Canaveral harbor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when their jet skis flipped them over into the water. At the same time, the Carnival Magic cruise ship was navigating out of the Port Canaveral Harbor. This meant that the two teenagers, ages 19 and 20, were now in the water, watching the approaching cruise ship come at them.

jetski-300x225 Imagine a 130, 000-ton cruise ship coming at you, and imagine the horror of the pilot knowing there was no way to maneuver out of the way of the two girls. There is little ability to quickly maneuver a large passenger cruise ship, which in this case was the cruise ship owned by Carnival Cruise Line. Not only is it hard to quickly maneuver a large cruise ship but it was also hard for the girls to swim out of the way, as a breeze was pushing the woman more into the path of the approaching cruise ship according to the Port Canaveral Harbor Pilot Capt. Doug Brown. Capt. Doug Brown quickly alerted the Brevard County Sheriff’s Deputy who was at patrol boat nearby to come help. Luckily the deputy was able to rescue the two girls, as Brown tried to change the ship’s course.

This jet ski incident is unfortunately one of many, as we have reported on many accidents involving these personal watercrafts, including fatalities. Jet skis are dangerous instrumentalities. They are hard to keep under control, as they are very powerful and can go very fast.

February 7, 2017

Another Tragic Miami Boat Accident Involving a Personal Watercraft

by Brett Rivkind, Esquire

MIAMI, Florida–On Sunday night a man in his 30s was found dead in Biscayne Bay, located in Miami. The man had been operating a Jet Ski. The man was found next to a very damaged Jet Ski after something had happened causing the tragic accident. Therefore, it is unknown at this time what had caused the death. It is not clear whether another WaveRunner was involved, or whether another person was involved. There will have to be determination of why this particular Jet Ski accident happened, resulting in another death of an operator of these types of personal watercrafts.

jetski-night-300x182 I have reported many times that personal watercrafts, including Jet Skis, are dangerous instrumentalities, and anyone operating a Jet Ski should be experienced with the operation of the Jet Ski, and basic safety rules. In fact, Florida boating safety laws require a watercraft livery to provide specific safety instructions, ensuring the person knows how to operate a Jet Ski prior to navigating one on the waters. In this case we are not sure whether the man involved in the death had rented the equipment and what kind of experience he had in operating Jet Skis.

Jet Skis can be a lot of fun and very exciting to go fast on, riding on waves and wakes from other boats. However, there are clearly many dangers to these personal watercraft, which can be operated at very high rates of speed. It is easy to lose control of a Jet Ski when driving and difficult to stop a Jet Ski going at a high rate of speed.

July 14, 2016

Serious Jet Ski Accident Injuring 2 Women Near Key Biscayne Again Shows the Dangers of Personal Watercrafts

by Brett Rivkind, Esquire

A horrible jet ski accident was reported to have occurred about a mile and a half south of Bill Baggs State Park, near Key Biscayne. Two young women were riding the jet ski together on Monday afternoon. The reports indicate that the watercraft ran aground and propelled the women off the jet ski, critically injuring one of the women. The other woman was reported to have suffered some facial injuries. The seriously injured woman was flown to the trauma center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The reports indicated that she suffered head and neck injuries, and was not moving her extremities.

jet ski 2 The fortunate occurrence regarding this event was that a party boat was passing by, and the experienced captain in charge of the boat, Captain Alexis Perez, came to the rescue of the women. The seriously injured woman was laying in the water, unable to move, and likely would have drowned if it was not for the prompt intervention by this captain. He was able to move the woman onto the back of the jet ski, waiting with her until Miami-Dade Fire Rescue divers arrived.

Jet ski accidents in Florida are not uncommon. They travel at very high speeds. Many times the operator has rented the jet ski and is not fully acquainted with its operation. In other words, inexperience, as well as traveling at high rates of speed, are often the causes of jet ski accidents. Sometimes the company that rents these jet skis can be legally liable for failure to warn of dangers, and failure to take appropriate measures to assure that the operator is sufficiently acquainted with the operation of the jet ski so that it can be safely operated. Sometimes the accident is a direct result of some defect in the jet ski itself that can lead to a products liability action against the manufacturer of the jet ski.