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Carney Man Pleads Guilty To Negligent Manslaughter in 2007 Maryland Boating Accident that Killed an Ellicott Man

By Jack Lebowitz, Esq. and Vadim Mzhen, Esq.

In Baltimore County Circuit Court last week, William C. Spittel was sentenced to six months in jail and a $2,500 fine after he pled guilty to one count of negligent manslaughter by vessel. Spittel was the operator of a 24-foot motorboat that struck a channel marker in the Pleasure Island Cut, close to where the Chesapeake Bay and the Back River meet.

Spittel and his two passengers were thrown from the boat. While he and one of the passengers were rescued, Ellicott resident Michael D. Schott did not survive the boating collision.

The US Coast Guard says that there were 710 boating deaths in 2006 and 3,474 injuries. Causes of injuries and deaths included drowning accidents, operator inattention, recklessness, carelessness, speeding, machinery failure, no proper lookout, and alcohol use, which was the leading cause of deadly boating accidents.

The top five kinds of boating accidents in 2006 included collision with another vessel, collision with a fixed object, skier accidents, falls overboard, and capsized vessels. In Maryland, boating accident victims and their loved ones have the right to file personal injury/wrongful death claims and lawsuits against a negligent boat operator or another liable party.

Our Maryland boating crash law firm represents clients injured on private boats, cruise ships, jet skis, ferries, or any other kinds of vessels. We know how to properly investigate and pursue your case so that you can receive your financial recovery.

If your boating accident was caused by a defect in the boat, one of our Maryland boating products liability lawyers can investigate the defect and file a defective products claim or lawsuit against the manufacturer.

Man admits role in fatal boat accident, Baltimore Sun, June 6, 2008

2006 Boating Statistics

Related Web Resource:

Boating in Maryland

Contact Lebowitz & Mzhen today.

Full post as published by Maryland Accident Law Blog on June 12, 2008 (boomark / email).