So you’ve been involved in a boating accident. Now what?
After ensuring that everyone is okay and contacting the authorities, you’ll want to gather as much documentation and evidence as possible. If you are able, take photographs or videos of the scene, any damages, or injuries. If you were wearing a body camera such as a GoPro, be sure to preserve the accident footage. Write down or make a note in your cellphone of the time of day, weather conditions, and any other information that might be relevant. If the accident involved any kind of motorized watercraft such as a motorboat, ski boat, wakeboarding boat, Sea-Doo, or Jet Ski, find out if the operator has a valid
Pleasure Craft Operator Card, also known as a boat license or boating license. Get the names of other parties or witnesses as well as the name of the boat and hull identification number (HIN). Don’t know where the HIN number is located? Click
here. You’ll also want to get any insurance or policy information. The more details you are able gather, the easier it will be to prepare a claim. There are no traffic cameras and fewer eyewitnesses on the water. And as time passes, it may become more difficult to accurately reconstruct what happened at the scene. The sooner you get in touch with a Calgary Boating Accident lawyer, the easier it will be to get accurate eyewitness accounts of the accident and obtain critical evidence.