Florida is known for its beautiful beaches. While this brings with it many benefits, it also presents one very real danger: accidents.
The beach presents several risks to those on it, but that doesn’t mean you lack legal options if you’re hurt. If you or someone in your household is injured at the beach, and you were not at fault, then you may be entitled to compensation.
Here’s what you need to know about personal injury lawsuits related to injuries at the beach in Florida – to help you understand your options and the steps you need to take.
Injuries That Can Occur at the Beach
It’s important to understand what dangers you can face at the beach. While you may be going there to relax and enjoy the surf and sun, beaches are usually quite large and may not be maintained as they should be. Public beaches should have security and lifeguards present.
If they aren’t adequately staffed or maintained, and you suffer one of these types of injuries, you may be able to hold the owner of the property accountable:
- Sprains
- Concussions
- Neck injuries
- Broken bones
- Lacerations
- Puncture wounds
- Nerve damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Knee injuries
- Drowning
- Torn muscles
There are many ways you can sustain injuries like those listed above at the beach. It can happen due to accidents in boats on the water, wakeboarding, parasailing, jet skiing, surfing, or even debris in the water. You can slip and fall in the parking lot or on the way to the beach. You could encounter cloudy water that doesn’t allow you to see dangers. There may be no gates or fences to keep you from dangerous areas. Or the beach may not have lifeguards to help you fall into trouble in the water.
What To Do If You’re Injured on a Florida Beach
If you think your beach injury resulted from another person’s negligence, you should consult with an experienced attorney. But before you even do that, the first thing to do is to get medical treatment for your injuries as soon as possible. Delaying treatment could hurt any potential case you bring.
Keep all your medical documents and statements related to the injury you sustained. This includes your medical records and any receipts from the hospital or doctor. Take pictures of the scene, as well, especially if your injury was due to dangers that existed at the beach.
It’s not a bad idea to get the names of any witnesses to your accident. If a lifeguard was there, then get their information. If the beach was private property, you also need to obtain the property owner’s information.
After all of these steps, you should take what you have to an attorney so they can begin working on your case.
What Compensation Can You Receive?
If you are injured at the beach, then you may be able to sue responsible parties for damages. The types of damages people are often awarded include:
- Past and future medical bills
- Loss of income
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
Getting an attorney on your side who understands how to navigate these types of cases is vital. They can get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries.
About the Author:
Andrew Winston is a partner at the personal injury law firm Winston Law. For over 20 years, he has successfully represented countless people in all personal injury cases, focusing on child injury, legal malpractice, and premises liability. He has been recognized for excellence in representing injured clients by admission to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and named one of America’s Top 100 High-Stakes Litigators. Mr. Winston is AV Preeminent Rated by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, enjoys a 10.0 rating by AVVO as a Top Personal Injury Attorney, and has been selected as a Florida “SuperLawyer” from 2011-2022– an honor reserved for the top 5% of lawyers in the state – was voted to Florida Trend’s ”Legal Elite,” recognized by Expertise as one of the 20 Best Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys, named one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the Miami area for 2015-2022, and one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Florida for 2015-2017 and 2019-2022.
