Summertime Personal Injuries That May Require Legal Action

Summertime can provide a wealth of fun and enjoyment, from family road trips to exciting fireworks displays. Even if you must work throughout the summer, the warm, sunny weather can make that work more pleasant. However, the summer months can also raise your risks for certain kinds of personal injuries.

As you plan your summer activities, you'll want to keep the potential for injury in mind, recognize when another party may hold responsibility for such an injury, and understand your legal options if you must sue for compensation. Take a look at some common summertime personal injuries, from their causes to their consequences.

Road Rage Injuries

Road rage has grown into a depressingly common problem. Over 80 percent of U.S. drivers admit to having succumbed to road rage while driving, with eight million Americans committing dangerously aggressive behaviors such as tailgating and cutting off other cars in heavy traffic.

Summer heat appears to fuel road rage. Psychologists believe that weather-related discomfort promotes crankiness, impatience, and aggression on the road. The fact that road rage incidents peak from July through September would seem to support the connection between hot weather and road rage.

Ideally, you can protect yourself and your vehicle occupants against such incidents by observing other drivers' behavior and giving them a wide berth if they drive aggressively. If a road-raging driver pursues you, drive to a police station or call 911 to report the problem and request help.

Auto insurance companies often exclude acts of road rage from their coverage and discontinue coverage for drivers found guilty of road rage. If the driver who caused your damages lacks insurance and won't compensate you out of pocket, you may find yourself forced to seek that compensation through a lawsuit

Boating Injuries

Summertime boat accidents can cause injuries just as motorists can. However, the auto insurance that might offer you compensation for a car crash won't cover a boating injury. While homeowner's insurance might cover it, you may need to pursue a lawsuit in the absence of such insurance.

Boat accidents can take many forms. One boat may collide with another boat, a water skier, or an undetected rock. You might occupy a boat that gets hit by a tall wave or rocked by the slipstream of another vessel. These situations could knock passengers off their feet, injure them, or even throw them into the water.

In a lawsuit regarding a collision with two boats, a court might assign liability to the more powerful and maneuverable of the boats, since it presumably had a greater ability to avoid the collision. In an injury sustained from a collision with a wave, a court might find the operator liable if the operator could've steered clear of it.

Other cases may prove trickier as far as presenting a personal injury case and showing liability. For instance, if you sustained a slip-and-fall injury on deck due to the boat suddenly shifting, you may have trouble showing that the operator did anything wrong or reasonably should have prevented that unexpected motion.

Dog Bite Injuries

Dog bite injuries occur more frequently in the summer months than at other times of the year. School breaks may account for some of these cases, with more children spending time outdoors and potentially encountering unfriendly dogs. Dogs may even experience their own version of road rage, growing more aggressive in hot weather.

Florida maintains a policy of strict liability in dog bite cases. In other words, the court assigns full liability to the dog's owner, even if the dog has no previous history of aggressive behavior, and gave no warning that the owner should take any special steps to protect the public.

Don't assume that this strict liability rule ensures your victory in a dog bite case. Florida law allows certain exceptions that may absolve the owner of liability. Examples include the posting of warning signs, trespassing on your part, or any provocative actions you took that compelled the dog to defend itself or its owners against you.

Fireworks Injuries

Fireworks have become a summertime institution by adding excitement and spectacle to Independence Day celebrations. However, as pretty as the displays may look, the powerful explosives that create them can cause death or severe injury when handled or fired under unsafe conditions.

If you receive an injury due to someone else's use of fireworks, you might have grounds for a lawsuit to compensate you for your medical bills, loss of ability to work, and other damages. Your case may depend on whether a reasonable person would have handled the fireworks differently or provided more adequate safety measures.

If your summer has left you with a personal injury that you believe someone else should pay for, talk to the legal experts at Jeeves Law Group. We can evaluate your situation, tell you whether you have a valid case, and then work to help you make that case as convincing as possible. Contact us for a free consultation.