Personal watercrafts are everywhere in the waters of Florida. You would be hard pressed to not find a personal watercraft on the water on a sunny day. Entire business have been built around rental of these vessels to tourists of our fine state. Trouble is personal watercraft are usually generically referred as Jet Skis. Jet Ski is a registered trademark. Since it is a trademark, is why you you will never see “Jet Ski” as an official vessel recognized by Florida or any State.
Due to the ease of use and since the personal watercraft is so readily available has been a cause for a large number of water craft related injuries. National Transportation Safety Board in the U.S estimated in the late 2000’s that approximately one out of every four injuries on a personal water craft is due to reckless operation of the vessel.
Reckless operation of a personal watercraft has been defined by Florida law as the following:
“Maneuvering a personal watercraft by weaving through congested vessel traffic, jumping the wake of another vessel unreasonably close or when visibility around the vessel is obstructed, or swerving at the last possible moment to avoid collision is classified as reckless operation of a vessel”
If you should be involved in a vessel incident remain calm and assess the situation. Make sure everyone is ok. If someone requires medical attention, or if the vessel is too damaged to maneuver, contact the Coast Guard immediately. Try to describe your situation and location as clearly as possible. If you have your exact coordinate that is the best information to provide.
If the situation is under control and nobody requires immediate medical attention report the accident to the Coast Guard. Next you will want to exchange information with the operator of the other personal watercraft vessel. If you were involved in a personal watercraft incident in Florida, we can help. Call us today for a free consultation with our personal watercraft accident lawyers: 954-956-7676 or 561-939-8042
Sources:
https://myfwc.com/media/2233192/2011-Personal-Watercraft-Data.pdf