Girl Injured in Boating Accident Settles Claim

Summer break brings out boating, alcohol and fun. Unless it is unsupervised, it can get out of control and result in a catastrophic injury – which is exactly what happened to our client. On a hot summer day, a young man was given the keys to his father’s yacht.  The young defendant called 20-25 of his buddies and young ladies to go out to Key Biscayne for a day of boating, drinking and jumping off of the boat’s Tuna Tower. After a day of drinking, partying and jumping off of a 30-foot Tuna Tower, our client was catastrophically injured when her jump went awry and she landed on the deck of the boat instead of the water.

Mitchell Panter brought suit against the boats captain and his father who owned the boat alleging negligence. The negligence claim was based on the facts that an under age captain was operating the boat in a careless manner allowing too many children to be on the boat, serving alcohol and encouraging and allowing the young partygoers to jump off of a 30-foot Tuna Tower, despite the dangerous scenario presented by such activity.

Our client sustained multiple injuries including a catastrophic injury to her arm, back and multiple other injuries requiring hospitalization, surgeries and residual scarring and disabilities. Medical expenses amounted to several hundred thousand dollars and the emotional trauma suffered by the client was substantial.

Prior to trial the parties resolved the claim for a confidential amount providing for payment of the medical bills, as well as a substantial recovery by the client for her economic damages as well as pain and suffering and remaining injuries.