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: Chicago Injury Attorney Blog

Palatine Woman Files Lake County, Illinois Boating Accident Lawsuit for Her Personal Injuries

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A Palatine, Illinois woman who sustained serious injuries when the boat she was a passenger in capsized on August 15 is suing two boat operators for her Illinois personal injuries.

Brenda Schmid was thrown into the water and pinned underwater and trapped in the mud after two boats collided with one another. Fortunately, she was rescued, resuscitated, and flown to a Park Ridge hospital.

Authorities later found out that Mark Holmquest, the operator of the boat Schmid was a passenger in, and David Caplan, the operator of the other vessel involved in the collision, were intoxicated at the time of the Lake County, Illinois boat accident. Both men were charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

Schmid?s Illinois boating accident lawsuit names the two men among the defendants.

2008 Recreational Boating Statistics (US Coast Guard):

? Alcohol was the #1 leading contributing factor in deadly boating accidents.
? There were 4,789 recreational boating accidents.
? 709 boating fatalities occurred.
? Drowning was a factor in 2/3rds of these deaths.
? 3,331 people sustained boating accident injuries.
? Five common causes of boating accidents included operator inattention, reckless/careless boat operation, boat operator inexperience, failure keep a proper lookout, and passenger behavior.
? Personal watercrafts, motorboats, and cabin motorboats were the most common kinds of boats involved in recreational boating accidents.

It is the responsibility of a watercraft owner and/or operator to protect passengers from injuries, as well as exercise the proper safety measures so that swimmers, water skiers, and people riding on other boats don?t get hurt. This means making sure that the person operating the boat has been trained properly, knows how to safely navigate a boat, and does not engage in negligent driving behavior (including drunk driving).

2008 Recreational Boating Accident Statistics, US Coast Guard (PDF)

Woman sues after drunk boat driver crashes, Chicago Sun-Times, September 10, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Lakes in Illinois

Boat Accidents Overview, Justia

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on September 15, 2009 (boomark / email).