What To Do if You Are in a Scuba Diving Accident
With so many opportunities to scuba dive in the waters surrounding the state of Florida, it’s no surprise that scuba diving accidents are more common here than in most other states throughout the U.S. In fact, hundreds of scuba accidents occur each year in Florida alone, often with catastrophic outcomes.
There are many things that can go wrong during a dive. If negligence, recklessness, or equipment failure is to blame for scuba injury or death, you may be entitled to compensation.
Dave Eltringham, the legal innovator at the Eltringham Law Group in Boca Raton, is an avid scuba diver and all too familiar with the risks involved. Offering legal representation to scuba accident victims throughout the entire state of Florida, Dave and his exceptional legal team have the experience and knowledge to help clients obtain the compensation they deserve when injury or death occurs due to a scuba diving accident.
Whether you are involved in a recreational, professional, or commercial diving accident, it’s important to have an experienced scuba diving accident attorney on your side who you can trust.
Scuba Diving Accident Lawsuit Cases
Scuba divers typically have to rely on others for their safety. When something goes wrong, compensation can and should be sought to cover current and future medical costs, pain and suffering, loss of wages, and punitive damages.
Some of the most common causes of scuba diving injury and death include:
- Boat operator negligence, including runovers, drive-offs, or faulty vessel operation
- Dive buddy negligence
- Rescuer negligence
- Improper training
- Inadequate supervision
- Dive operator failure to follow U.S. Coast Guard regulations or proper safety protocol in order to cut costs
- Faulty or poorly maintained equipment
- Out-of-air emergencies
- Issues caused by improper decompression, bends, rapid descents/ascents, nitrogen narcosis
- Dangerous weather or surf conditions
With years of experience handling personal injury cases in Florida, including scuba diving negligence, the Eltringham Law Group can answer all of your questions and address your concerns. We offer free consultations during which we will discuss your case and can provide you with the information, support, and advice you need to move forward.
What to Expect Following Your Scuba Diving Accident
When you choose the Eltringham Law Group to represent you following a scuba diving accident involving personal injury, property damage, or death, here is what you can expect to happen:
- We offer free consultations so you can get all your questions answered and spend time talking directly with an experienced attorney about your rights and expected outcomes.
- Leave all the work to us. We will be in contact with doctors, hospitals, witnesses, insurance providers, police, attorneys, and anyone else necessary to settle your claim. We will thoroughly investigate your accident and will build a solid case so that you are more likely to be awarded additional compensation from insurance companies or other parties.
- You focus on you. Whether you are still recovering from injuries or are simply dealing with the stress and anxiety that is common following scuba diving accidents, now is the time to focus on your own needs while you leave the details of your case in the hands of experienced attorneys that will get the job done right.
- We work on a contingent fee basis. This means that you don’t need to lay out any money upfront in order to have our injury attorneys work on your case. We don’t get paid unless we recover a financial settlement or jury award for you.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a scuba diving accident, you may have many questions that need to be answered. Among them are:
Common Questions About Scuba Diving Accidents
What are some of the common causes for scuba diving accidents?
Some of the most common causes of scuba diving include equipment malfunction and misuse such as insufficient gas or entanglement. Buoyancy control, rough waters and an improper ascents also cause many scuba diving accidents.
What type of attorney do I need for a scuba diving accident?
Scuba diving injuries and deaths fall under maritime jurisdiction and legal jurisdiction depends on where the accident occurred. If it was closer to shore, state law applies and you can hire an experienced personal injury attorney at the Eltringham Law Group to handle your case.
If the accident happened further offshore such as deep-sea diving, federal maritime law would apply.
Can I sue a diving company and/or manufacturer for injuries/death related to a scuba diving accident?
Depending on what is determined to be the main cause of the accident, you may be able to take legal action against a third party. For example, if you were provided equipment that failed to supply enough oxygen, you may have legal recourse against the provider of the equipment, and potentially the manufacturer if the equipment was defective.
Legal action involving scuba diving accidents can be very complicated and it is best that you speak with one of our experienced personal injury attorneys at the Eltringham Law Group.
You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. Call the Eltringham Law Group today at 754-354-8587 for these and any other personal injury questions you may have.
Last updated Wednesday, September 18th, 2024