Massachusetts Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

How to protect your child from boating injuries

    Summer is here and families are enjoying taking their boats on the water once again.  Boating can be a wonderful experience for families to enjoy together, as long as parents follow certain safety tips to make sure that everyone has a good time in a safe way. One of the most important safety practices parents can institute when taking their families boating is requiring everyone on the boat to wear a life jacket.  According to the North American Safe Boating Campaign, nine out of 10 people who drown each year were not wearing life jackets.

    According to the most recent World Health Organization and UNICEF report, World Health Organization and UNICEF World Report on Child Injury Prevention, 2008, drowning ranks 13th as the overall cause of death for children under age 14.  And children from the ages of 1-4 are at the highest risk of drowning. 

    Another factor contributing to boat accidents is accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.  Because the boat engine emits carbon monoxide, if there is an equipment problem with the engine, the odorless gas can cause people to pass out or to die. Parents can avoid this problem by making sure the boat always has adequate ventilation, the equipment is working properly, and installing carbon monoxide detectors on the boat. 

For more information, go to:

Center for Disease Control and Prevention,

U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security (US). Boating Statistics – 2006. 2008. [cited 2008 March 26].