Maritime Law

Oregon Boat Accident Attorney

Like many Oregonians, I love boating and fishing. For some in Oregon, boating is recreational, for others, working on ships as deckhands, crew, guides, or fishing, boating or being on a ship is a career and way of life.

The challenges and dangers of boating on our rivers and oceans are not always caused by the elements. Every year, the U.S. Coast Guard compiles stastistics to help us better understand boating safety. Not too surprising is the fact that alcohol contributes signficantly to boating accident injuries and death just as car accidents. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, "The use of alcohol is involved in about a third of all recreational boating fatalities." (BUI - "boating under the influence").

Alcohol is a significant factor of boating accidents, injuries and deaths. In fact the Coast Guard says, "a boat operator with a blood alcohol concentration above .10 percent is estimated to be more than 10 times as likely to die in a boating accident than an operator with zero blood alcohol concentration. " [Boating Under Influence Initiatives]

While many have great respect for the ocean, all waterways, i.e. lakes, rivers, reservoirs, can be dangerous. In fact, according to the U.S. Coast Guard statistics, Table 11 (page26), oceans and bays only account for a small fraction of boating accident, injury and deaths.

The majority of accidents occur with smaller boats, "According to the Coast Guard’s 2007 accident data, more than 70 percent of all boating accidents and more than 80 percent of all fatalities involved boats less than 26 feet in length." For the recreational boater, there's a compounding of circumstanstances to be especially aware of because smaller boats are also more likely to be used for recreation. In fact, experience matters on the water just as it does for driving a car and the relation of a driver's experience in motor vehicle accidents, "Since 2000, half of all boating accidents on average involved boaters with 100 to 500 hours of experience on the water." [Anglers/Undertrained boost accident data]

Be safe out there and practice safe boating habits so that you can enjoy more boating and time on the water!

The quote below is from an article written by a crew member on my ship the, "Shake N Bake" telling the story of my boat and crew, during the Tuna Classic 2010:

The Oregonian
August 6, 2010
Bill Monroe: Tuna Classic unleashes a frenzy on the ocean

"Not all of the blood is always the tuna's. In 2009, while trying to remove a large double hook from the mouth of a thrashing albacore during the same event, I ripped a finger nearly to the bone. Clark Vonessen, a nurse from Eugene and Colbach's deck foreman, butterflied it with tape, and the wound was closed and healing by the time we returned to port."