If you have ever been a participant in or witness to a boating accident, you know that personal injuries are all too common. A June 2010 accident on Lake Norman in North Carolina is a good example.

In this boating accident, a 26-year old Charlotte woman lost her right arm after being struck by a propeller after she jumped off the boat in which she was a passenger. She recently sued the boat operator, owner and manufacturer. Are any of these people/companies culpable? This case will decide.

Some of the facts are a bit convoluted and do not lead to simple conclusions. For example, the 30-year old boat driver had apparently not been drinking or enjoying recreational drugs. However, the craft was carrying 15 people, when it was only designed for 14 humans. Further, only 11 life jackets were available.

The 24-foot Chaparral was rented to the driver for the annual "Lake Bash" party. The suit requests damages, including lost wages, medical costs, pain and suffering, and the loss of limb. The action alleges that the operator, renter and manufacturer were negligent in operating and/or designing the vessel for safe operation. Additional allegations include lack of operator experience and a "failure to warn" of dangers of crowded lake-based events.

This, and similar boating accidents, may or may not involve negligence. The facts, conditions and actions of both operator and victim must be weighed and evaluated. However, the results of this legal action should uncover the pertinent facts and lead reasonable juries or judges to fair conclusions.

Source: WCNC, "Woman who lost arm in Lake Norman boating incident files lawsuit," Jan. 20, 2012