Boating & Jet Ski Accident Lawyers

California Boating Accidents: What You Need to Know

California ranks second in the nation for boating accidents — only Florida sees more. In 2024, there were 3,887 recreational boating incidents nationwide, resulting in 556 deaths and 2,170 injuries. Alcohol remains the number one known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents, accounting for 20% of all boating deaths.

What makes these cases particularly dangerous is the lack of mandatory insurance. While every car on a California road must carry liability coverage, boats and jet skis have no such requirement. When an intoxicated or inexperienced operator causes a catastrophic injury, victims often discover there's no insurance policy to claim against — and that's where most law firms give up.

Jet Ski Accidents: A Growing Problem

Personal watercraft — Jet Skis, WaveRunners, Sea-Doos — account for 19% of all reported boating incidents despite being a fraction of registered vessels. The reasons are predictable: high speeds, inexperienced operators (many on rentals), and a critical design issue — when operators release the throttle to avoid a collision, they lose steering control entirely. This "off-throttle steering" problem has been the subject of multi-million dollar product liability verdicts against PWC manufacturers.

California law requires PWC operators to be at least 16 years old, hold a California Boater Card, wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket, and never operate between sunset and sunrise. Violations of these laws establish negligence that supports your injury claim.

Rental Company Liability

A significant number of jet ski and boating accidents involve rented watercraft — 28% of PWC accidents nationally involve rented equipment. Rental companies have a legal duty to maintain their vessels, provide safety instructions, and refuse to rent to underage or visibly intoxicated customers. When they cut corners to maximize profits, they're liable for the injuries that result.

Importantly, the liability waivers that rental companies make you sign before riding are not absolute. In California, a waiver cannot protect a company from its own negligence — renting defective equipment, failing to provide safety training, or ignoring obvious red flags about a customer's fitness to operate the watercraft.

Boating Under the Influence (BUI)

Under California Harbors and Navigation Code Section 655, operating any vessel with a BAC of 0.08% or higher is illegal — the same standard as driving. But unlike DUI, there are no routine sobriety checkpoints on the water, and enforcement is sporadic. When a BUI operator causes injury, the evidence of intoxication is powerful leverage in a civil claim — it establishes clear negligence and may support a claim for punitive damages.

California's two-year statute of limitations (CCP §335.1) generally applies to boating injury claims. However, if federal maritime law applies, the deadline may extend to three years. If a government vessel or public waterway agency was involved, you may have as little as six months to file a formal claim. Don't wait — call us today.