Injuries Caused by Houston Boating Accidents

While boat accidents can cause a range of injuries, some of the most common include: 

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) – Objects striking a head, falling down and explosions on boats can all contribute to TBIs. While milder TBIs like concussions can respond well to treatment, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that even mild TBIs can have cumulative, lasting impacts. In the worst cases, TBIs can cause irreversible and debilitating impairments, like problems with coordination, mobility, cognition, perception, mood and/or speech.
• Spinal cord injuries – Blunt trauma, as well as hyperextension, can lead to vertebral fractures and/or pinching or severing of the spinal cord. These injuries can cause nerve damage, mobility impairments and an inability to control bodily functions. In the most serious cases, spinal cord injuries can cause permanent paralysis in the form of paraplegia or quadriplegia.
• Electrocutions – When boating equipment malfunctions or hits powerlines, those aboard (or swimming by) the vessel can be electrocuted. While this injury is not as common as other types of boating injuries, at least a handful of people across the U.S. are electrocuted in boating accidents each year.¹
• Disfigurement – Scarring and loss of limbs are two of the primary ways that boating accidents can disfigure victims. In many cases, disfigurement can have emotional impacts, like depression.
• Emotional & psychological injuries – While these impacts can be more difficult to notice than physical injuries from boating accidents, they are no less damaging. In fact, the psychological and emotional damage from boating accidents can manifest as post-traumatic stress disorder, severe anxiety and depression (among other conditions). These types of injuries can last for years and require personalized, ongoing treatment.
• Fatal injuries – More than 700 people in the U.S. were fatally injured in boating accidents last year. Of these, about 80 percent were drownings. In drowning incidents, more than 4 in every 5 victims was reportedly not wearing a life jacket when the accident occurred.