Boating Injury

The 100 Deadliest Days of Summer

June 28, 2023 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

The 100 Deadliest Days of Summer

Summertime is here, and everyone is outside, enjoying all that life has to offer. There are many people taking vacations, and many of them are driving. Teens are out of school and practicing their driving skills behind the wheel. While the days may be sunny and bright, there are actually more traffic-related deaths than at other times during the year. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) calls the period of time between Memorial Day and Labor Day the 100 deadliest days of summer.

Spike in Common Types of Crashes

May is Water Safety Month

May 3, 2023 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Safety Month

Water is a source of life, and humans require it to live. Water draws us to it and gives us a sense of peace. We enjoy many activities and sports in the water, including swimming, diving, boating, waterskiing, tubing, fishing, and much more. Whether in a swimming pool, lake, or the ocean, water can be dangerous. May is National Water Safety Month, a time when we all take time to review the safety measures we should take when we are around water.

Swimming Pool Safety

Summer Water Safety

May 25, 2022 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: “What can you sue for in a personal injury case?”

The summer season brings with it plenty of fun activities, including swimming and boating. When the temperatures are high, pools, water parks, and lakes provide a much-needed respite from the heat. Unfortunately, water activities can be dangerous. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are almost 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths in the United States each year. That equates to about 11 deaths every day. If a loved one was a drowning victim due to someone’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. It is essential to take water safety seriously to prevent injuries and fatalities.

What Causes Boating Accidents?

May 11, 2022 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Injury Lawyer Matt Arnold answers the question: “Why should I hire an attorney to represent me in a personal injury claim instead of handling the claim on my own?”

If you love being on the water, there are plenty of boating opportunities in the area. There are many lakes or various sizes that allow for activities such as fishing, water skiing, sailing, or just relaxing on the water. Although boating is a fun thing to do, it can result in an accident with injuries. Boating accidents can cause serious injuries or fatalities. If you were hurt in a boating accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.

Common Boating Accidents in North Carolina

August 18, 2021 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: How does the law of contributory negligence play a role in my case?

Being out on the open water is an experience unlike anything else. The freedom one experiences while operating a recreational marine vessel can be exciting and liberating. While owning and operating a boat can be a pleasurable activity for oneself and others, it also comes with a large responsibility. Boating accidents that cause personal injury to others are a serious concern in waterways across the nation.

Can I Sue A Cruise Line for my Holiday from Hell?

February 25, 2016 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I wait a few months to pursue a personal injury claim?”

Apparently U.S. Senator Bill Nelson is calling for federal investigations into the Royal Caribbean cruise ship that steered into a forecast storm in the Atlantic Ocean this February.

Driver In Deadly Boating Accident Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter :: Personal Injury Attorneys and Lawyers in Charlotte, NC

May 21, 2013 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What exactly is a wrongful death claim?”

The driver of the boat responsible for a deadly accident over Memorial Day weekend that left a pregnant woman and her three-year-old son dead has ben charged. Police say that the driver, Michael Lynn Greene of McLeansville, was arrested earlier this week and charged with involuntary manslaughter.

According to prosecutors, Greene was arrested and charged on Monday and given a $50,000 secured bond and a court date in July. Davidson County District Attorney Garry Frank says that authorities do not believe alcohol was a factor in the deadly accident but that did not stop his office from pressing charges.

The terrible accident happened on the busy holiday weekend when Greene was crashed his speedboat into a slow moving pontoon boat. The accident occurred in Swearing Creek, a small cove off of High Rock Lake. The pontoon boat was heading downstream slowly and had three adults and a child on board at the time of the accident. Greene was heading upstream with three juvenile passengers at high speeds when he crashed into the pontoon boat.

Pregnant Woman And Young Son Killed In North Carolina Boating Accident :: Personal Injury Attorneys and Lawyers in Charlotte, NC

May 14, 2013 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What exactly is a wrongful death claim?”

This Memorial Day weekend ended in tragedy for the family of one pregnant woman and her young son who both died on High Rock Lake in North Carolina in a terrible boating accident. According to police, the woman and her three-year-old son died when a speedboat crashed into their pontoon boat.

Authorities say Melissa Chambers Britt and her son died in the terrible accident on High Rock Lake, located in Davidson County, NC. According to a police spokesperson, the speedboat that smashed into Britt’s boat was traveling at more than 50 miles per hour at the time of the accident.

Witnesses say Britt’s husband, William, who was not injured in the accident jumped in the water after the crash to save his wife and young son. The boy was taken to the hospital, but later died of his injuries. Sadly, William was not able to find his wife’s body which was only recovered several hours later by rescue crews. Police say Britt’s brother, Michael Chambers, was also in the boat at the time of the accident was taken by helicopter to a hospital for treatment of serious head injuries.

However, police say that none of the four people in the speedboat driven by Michael Greene were injured in the crash. According to witnesses, Greene became aware of the pontoon boat too late to slow down and tried to turn away but the two vessels were already too close together to avoid an accident. Police say they do not believe alcohol played a role in the accident, but do believe Greene was distracted behind the wheel. Authorities say they will make a final decision about possible criminal charges against Greene next week.

Charlotte Woman’s Beach Accident Should Raise Concerns for North Carolina Sunbathers

April 5, 2012 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

A Charlotte woman’s Florida vacation turned into a nightmare. Rinda Mizelle was enjoying her vacation on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida when her time in the sun was ruined. She was run over by an Ocean Rescue pickup truck. She was sunbathing on the beach around 3:00 PM. She was laying on the sand with shorts over her face to keep the sun out of her eyes. The next thing she felt were tires roll across her body. Lifeguards rescued her and she was immediately transported to Broward General Medical Center. She was treated for her injuries and released. After this incident she filed a lawsuit against the city of Fort Lauderdale alleging negligence.

The city has responded by reevaluating its policies concerning vehicles on beach. The mayor, Jack Seilier, said, “I can safely say we’ll evaluate that policy… We want to make sure that people have the best possible experience on our beaches. And if there’s some issue with the safe use of vehicles on the beach, then we need to address it.” The driver of the pickup truck has been placed on administrative leave until an investigation is conducted into the accident.

Opinions regarding large trucks on the beach are split. Some believe that such large vehicles prevent drivers from seeing people who are laid out on the beach. Others believe that they are necessary to carry the lifeguard’s equipment from one end of the beach to the other in a timely manner. In some emergency situations, lifeguards and safety personnel need boards, defibrillators, and other emergency equipment necessary to save someone’s life.

Emergency officials in Fort Lauderdale are saying that having a sunbather run over by a beach vehicle is unheard of, but there have been other similar incidents in Florida, in both Miami and Volusia County. Mizelle’s attorney, John M. Phillips, finds it extremely troubling that this has happened to more than one sunbather on Florida’s beaches.

Severely Injured North Carolina Woman Files Complaint

January 24, 2012 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

WCNC.com has reported that a woman who suffered a horrific trauma in a boating accident has just recently filed a lawsuit against the driver of the boat, the owner of the boat, and the manufacturer of the boat. According the suit, the victim, Deondra Scott, of Charlotte, had her right arm completely severed by the boat’s propeller when she jumped off the back of the boat into Lake Norman.

The accident took place in June during the annual Lake Bash, a yearly party where boaters come together to have fun, dance, listen to music and party. The boat that Scott was on was rented and driven by Dennis Allen. Allen rented the boat from David Orzolek. Prior to the day of the accident, Allen had no experience operating a boat. When the police responded to the scene of the accident in June, they determined that alcohol was not involved in the accident even though there was alcohol was present on the boat. The boat was, however, filled beyond capacity and it did not have enough life vests for the number of passengers on the boat.

Deondra Scott, along with some other passengers on the boat, jumped off the back of the boat and went into the water directly behind the boat. The complaint claims that all of the passengers who jumped into the boat were under the impression that the boat had been completely powered off. The plaintiff was swimming back toward the boat when other passengers of the boat realized that the engine was still running. One of the passengers tried to tell Allen to cut the engine, but Allen panicked and put the boat in reverse and hit the plaintiff with the boat’s propeller. Then, because Allen panicked again, he put the throttle in a forward gear and hit the plaintiff again with the propeller. As a result of being struck twice by the boat’s spinning propeller, the plaintiff suffered “1) a laceration to the right arm, which has since been amputated; 2) laceration to the breasts, which have since been amputated; 3) serious lacerations to both legs; 4) a punctured lung; 5) severed sternum.”

Scott’s attorneys filed the lawsuit in January. Scott is requesting damages for her medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, excessive scaring and loss of a limb. Both the driver and the owner of the boat have been named as defendants in the suit, in addition to the manufacturer. The suit alleges that the driver, Allen, and the owner, Orzolek, were negligent. It also charges the manufacturer of the boat, Chaparral, with a defect in design and breach of the duty to warn. The complaint alleges that the manufacturer of the boat promotes swimming directly behind the boat, but failed to warn of the dangers of swimming behind the boat while it is running, i.e., the spinning propeller that can dismember limbs.