South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

As the heart of boat season gets underway in Florida, our Fort Myers boat accident attorneys want to remind boat enthusiasts to keep safety in mind while sharing waterways with other users. The more populated the waters get with untrained operators, the higher the risk of negligent behaviors that could lead to fatal boating accidents in Boca Raton, Bonita Springs, Lake Worth and Naples.

A miraculous story recently reported by ABC News reminds us of how family bonding on a fishing expedition can turn fatal with little or no warning. Eight family members recently went out on a boat in the Florida Keys for a weekend of fishing. They pushed away from land early Saturday and at around noon the family suddenly experienced gusts of wind up to 40 mph, in addition to waves as high as 10 feet. The rough waters and treacherous wind caused the boat to overturn, throwing all eight family members into the water.

A 4-year-old grabbed on to a water cooler, which helped her survive. Three male family members were able to tread water near the capsized boat while three female family members grabbed onto the cooler with the young child and floated away. After almost 20 hours of treading water, a commercial boater found the men Sunday morning. Coast Guard rescuers were able to locate the women and child soon after. The eighth member of the family, an 80-year-old mother and grandmother, did not survive. The seven survivors were taken to Fisherman Community Hospital to be treated for jellyfish stings and hypothermia.

Boaters experiencing these kinds of treacherous conditions not only fear drowning but are also subject to death from hypothermia. Even though the air is warm, the water can be quite frigid in some areas. Boatsafe.com reports that boaters are at risk of hypothermia when the water reaches the following temperatures (Fahrenheit):

-If water is 32.5 degrees, exhaustion or unconsciousness can be reached in less than 15 minutes.

-If water temperature is 40 to 50 degrees, unconsciousness is reached between 30 to 60 minutes. Victims can typically survive anywhere from one to three hours in these conditions.

-Expected survival time is two to 40 hours when water temperature is 60 to 70 degrees. In these conditions, exhaustion or unconsciousness occurs somewhere between two to seven hours.

The warmer the water temperature the more chance for survival, but other factors that can help determine how long a hypothermia victim will survive are body size, body fat and the amount of movement while in the water. The rate at which your body cools down is 25 time faster in cold water than in air.

Passengers thrown to the water in a boating accident should try to huddle together to preserve body temperature and avoid hypothermia. Wearing a life jacket will not only help prevent drowning but it also can free up your arms and legs to form a fetal position to protects areas of your body most susceptible to heat loss like your groin, back of knees or armpits.

If you plan to go out on a boat, reduce the risk of serious injury or death by checking for ideal boating conditions, especially if you are an inexperienced boat operator. Be responsible and always use caution around other boaters.