Passengers paying for boat rides and river tours can file injury claims if they get hurt. CCD Law helps victims hold tour businesses and outfitters in the Spokane Area completely responsible for medical bills and lost time on the job.
We provide free case consultation to any injured victims around Spokane and Northern Idaho. We want you to get the support you need to recover and get back to the walks or runs that you love. Let’s talk over what happened to you and investigate the best way to get you the maximum compensation possible.
When You May Need a Lawyer for Your Case
If you suffer a serious injury while on a boat trip, it’s a good indicator that you should have a lawyer to protect your right to full compensation. A serious injury that may hint that you require a lawyer can include any broken bone, a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), or a neck or back injury. Families may also need a wrongful death lawyer if a loved one tragically falls overboard and drowns while on the river.
These cases will be of higher value, and that’ll make business owners and their lawyers fight harder to avoid taking blame. Liability insurance providers can also try to blame you for what happened, or cast doubt on how severe your injuries are.
A lawyer fights back on your behalf against these tactics meant to limit the insurer’s liability. CCD Law would fully investigate what happened, show the businesses’ negligence, and hold everyone who contributed to the accident fully accountable. A skilled lawyer would often be able to secure much more for victims and their families than they could by handling a case themselves.
Scheduling a Free Case Consultation
At CCD Law, we never want accident victims to feel too vulnerable or intimidated to ask for financial assistance from those responsible for an injury. We do want victims fully informed about their rights and what they can demand from negligent businesses.
We offer a free case review to all victims hurt in Spokane or Northern Idaho. This case review is confidential, and it comes with no obligation. Victims who feel we can earn them more, won’t have to worry about how they’ll afford a lawyer. CCD Law only gets paid for our representation if we win the case. Then our fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurer must write for the victim and the victim’s family.
Full Support Available for Boating Accident Victims
Local boating accident victims should never be afraid to demand what’s fair from a business. With a serious injury on a fast-moving river, like the Spokane River, victims may spend days in a hospital and months in physical therapy. They may not even have a chance to cover the bills while they lose paycheck after paycheck due to missing so much work.
It’s why a Spokane River Boating Injury Lawyer would be creating a full list of every hardship a victim had endured. The list would also contain estimates on the cost of care victims may need in the coming years.
A skilled attorney would demand that these and other hardships be factored into any settlement check:
- Past and future medical bills
- Past and future lost earnings
- Any permanent disability
- Pain experienced
- Emotional anguish caused
The emotional trauma endured can be a major part of any fair settlement. Victims can suffer PTSD symptoms after a whitewater rafting trip sends them underwater, into rocks, and forces a scary rescue operation.
Victims might also deal with anxiety and depression while forced to give up their favorite hobbies and family activities during recovery. They might require expensive counseling sessions to help them cope with their feelings and feel comfortable getting near a body of water again.
These and other damages must be part of any compensation a negligent business provides. An experienced attorney would ensure that victims had the emotional support they needed to make a full recovery.
Finding Out Who Is Responsible for a Rafting Accident
Washington expects any business operating in the state to show a special “duty of care” to all customers and clients. It means river tour operators, whitewater rafting guides, and fishing guides must do everything reasonably possible to keep customers safe from harm.
When they get negligent in this duty and allow someone to get hurt due to the careless actions of staff members or their failure to act, they can be held financially liable through a personal injury claim. Businesses earning money from services provided on local rivers are also liable for the mistakes that boat riders and rafters are allowed to make, which can leave other passengers injured.
Victims may be knocked overboard while taking a cruise on the Columbia River to suffer a near-drowning. Victims might strike a rock after a guide chooses a path that’s too dangerous along the Spokane River through Bowl and Pitcher. Tubing outfits and places that rent kayaks could also allow customers to get hurt. The company that provided the boat and crew could be fully liable for the costs of recovery.
These are just a few of the boating accidents that a local business could be held responsible for:
- A slip-and-fall on an unsafe dock or pier
- Passengers allowed to fall into a fast-moving river
- Broken bones after striking a rock
- Deep cuts or puncture wounds
- Overboard injuries involving hypothermia
- Victims left underwater too long and suffering brain damage
- Dislocations (e.g., shoulders, knees)
- Victims tragically drowned
- A failure to provide safety gear like a helmet and life-jacket, or providing gear that doesn’t work properly
- An accident caused by a captain, guide, or staff member with too little training
We can help victims win support for these and other lapses in safety. We are also licensed to help victims in Idaho. We can win claims for people hurt while on Coeur d’Alene Lake or while floating the St. Joe River in Northern Idaho.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my family ask for support if a loved one drowns in a rafting or boating accident?
Yes. Families can file a wrongful death claim against a boating company. This claim would seek help for the grieving family by asking for money to reimburse funeral costs and help pay off remaining medical debt. The income the victim may have provided to the family should also be covered, especially for the years ahead when families won’t have those paychecks to fall back on. A Spokane Wrongful Death Lawyer would make sure the intense grief now and the loss of love and companionship in the future a family must cope with factors into any settlement.
Can I ask for injury support if I signed a waiver?
Yes, in many cases. A waiver protects businesses from some litigation. But when businesses are found grossly negligent, victims can still win recovery support. A broken safety device or a negligent guide causing a scary accident may nullify waiver protections and allow victims to seek damages. A skilled attorney would rush in to gather evidence to prove the business’s extreme disregard for safety.
How long do I have to file a boating injury claim?
Spokane allows personal injury victims to file an accident claim up to three years after the accident occurred. For an accident in Northern Idaho, the victims would have up to two years to file a claim. It’s always best for victims to act as soon as possible while fresh evidence is still available and witnesses can be more easily tracked down.
Contact a Spokane River Boating Injury Attorney
If you are hurt on a lake or river trip operated by a local rafting or touring business, it’s a good idea to talk over your case with a real local attorney. It’s a chance to stay informed of your rights and what your injury and suffering may be worth. It’s a free case consultation that comes with no pressure or strings attached.
CCD Law can usually help victims in Eastern Washington or in Northern Idaho earn more. We can also help tourists who may live in another state seek support from local rafting or tubing outfits. We would strive to handle the frustrating claims process while allowing victims and their families to remain at home to focus on healing.
And keep in mind that you don’t have to have a huge savings account to afford excellent legal protection. We don’t ask for any upfront money. In fact, we only get paid for our work if we win your case for you. Then, if we win, our fee comes out of the settlement check that a liability insurance company must write for your family.