The Cochran Firm South Florida represents people injured in boating accidents throughout Broward County and across South Florida, from Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood to Miami, Boca Raton, and the Florida Keys. A day on the water can end in a hospital when another operator is careless, and boat crash claims are governed by maritime law rather than the rules that govern car accidents. Call (954) 473-0011 for a free consultation with an experienced and qualified maritime injury attorney.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recorded 694 reportable boating accidents and 51 boating deaths across Florida in 2025. Unfortunately, South Florida carries a large share of that activity. At The Cochran Firm South Florida, our boating accident lawyers navigate maritime and boating accident law for you, hold the negligent parties accountable, and fight for the full and fair compensation you need to heal.
Boating accidents are governed by complex federal and state laws known as maritime or admiralty law. These rules differ significantly from those that apply to car accidents, including how fault is proven, how long you have to file a claim, and what responsibilities boat owners carry. Hiring an attorney who doesn’t specialize in this area can jeopardize your case and your recovery.
At The Cochran Firm South Florida, our practice focuses on maritime injury law, and we know what these cases take. Our team does more than just file paperwork. We conduct thorough accident investigations, gather evidence, interview witnesses, and work with experts to establish liability. We also handle negotiations with insurance companies to ensure that any settlement demand truly reflects the full extent of your damages. And if a fair outcome isn’t possible through negotiation, we are fully prepared to take your case to trial and fight for you in court.
While every accident is unique, most stem from preventable negligence. Our investigations frequently expose careless choices that put innocent people at risk.
Broward County's waterways stay very busy year-round, and most of the crashes we handle happen in a handful of predictable places. The Intracoastal Waterway between Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood mixes cruisers, rental boats, and personal watercraft in a narrow channel. The New River carries commercial traffic and yacht yard movements through downtown bridges. Port Everglades and the Hillsboro Inlet funnel that traffic into tight, current-driven passages where a misjudged turn leaves no room to recover. On weekends, Lake Sylvia and the Las Olas sandbar fill with anchored boats, swimmers and jet skis sharing the same water.
The pattern continues on either side of the county line. Haulover Inlet, Government Cut and Biscayne Bay draw the same combination of heavy traffic and inexperienced operators, and the Boca Raton and Jupiter inlets do the same to the north. Wherever your accident happened, the location shapes which agency investigates, which navigation rules apply, and which evidence still exists a week later.
At the Cochran Firm in South Florida, our firm has the resources and experience to handle a wide range of accidents that occur on South Florida’s waterways.
The Cochran Firm South Florida represents victims injured in collisions or mishaps involving motorboats, sailboats, and yachts due to operator negligence.
These vessels are involved in a disproportionate number of accidents. We hold reckless operators and negligent rental companies accountable.
Your injury may have happened before you even left the shore. We hold marina owners accountable for injuries caused by unsafe conditions, such as slippery fuel spills, rotten planks, inadequate lighting, or faulty equipment on their property.
Based in Broward County, The Cochran Firm South Florida provides experienced legal representation for boating accident victims throughout South Florida. Our boating accident attorneys understand the unique challenges of the region’s waterways, from the Jupiter Inlet to the Florida Keys, and bring deep knowledge of both maritime law and local conditions.
We proudly serve clients in communities including:
Our office sits in Broward County, and Fort Lauderdale is where most of our boating cases begin. We handle crashes on the Intracoastal, in the New River corridor, around Port Everglades and out through the Hillsboro Inlet, along with dock and marina injuries in Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Dania Beach, Pembroke Pines, and Weston.
Miami-Dade reported more than twice as many boating accidents as Broward in the state's most recent county figures. We represent people injured at Haulover Inlet, in Government Cut, across Biscayne Bay, and off Miami Beach, including passengers on charters and rented vessels who often find out too late what their rental agreements say.
From Boca Raton and Delray Beach up through West Palm Beach and the Jupiter Inlet, we handle collisions, groundings, and personal watercraft injuries in some of the busiest inlet traffic in the state.
Our firm is committed to helping boating accident victims across South Florida pursue justice after serious boating incidents.
Securing the compensation you need after a serious boating accident requires exploring every possible avenue for recovery. Depending on the facts of your case, we may be able to pursue financial damages through several types of claims:
Our first step is always a thorough investigation to identify every party whose negligence contributed to your injuries. We then build a strategy to maximize your recovery from all available sources.
When a boating accident takes a life, Florida's Wrongful Death Act allows the personal representative of the estate to bring a claim on behalf of the surviving family. Recoverable losses can include funeral and final medical expenses, the income and support the family has lost, and the loss of a parent's or spouse's companionship and guidance.
Where the accident happened matters a great deal in these cases. A death in Florida waters, in federal navigable waters, or offshore can fall under different bodies of law with different deadlines and different categories of recoverable damages. We establish which law governs before those deadlines begin to close, and we bring in marine investigators and accident reconstruction experts while the physical evidence is still there.
Outlined below is a guide to handling safety concerns after a boating accident and preserving evidence for your case:
In most Florida boating accident cases involving negligence, you have six months to formally report the accident, and two years from the date of the incident to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, if your accident occurred on a cruise ship, different rules may apply. Many cruise lines, especially those departing from Florida ports, include clauses in their passenger contracts that shorten the filing deadline to as little as one year. It’s important to review the fine print on your ticket and speak with an attorney as soon as possible to protect your rights.
You may be entitled to compensation for all of your accident-related losses. This includes your current and future medical bills, lost wages if you're unable to work, and damages for the physical pain and emotional distress you have endured.
Maritime law has unique rules, deadlines, and standards of proof. Hiring an attorney who doesn’t specialize in this complex area of law means you are not giving your case the best possible chance of success.
Florida does not require most recreational boat owners to carry liability insurance, so recovery often depends on identifying all responsible parties rather than a single policy. That can mean the operator, the boat's owner, a rental or charter company, a marina, a repair shop, or the manufacturer of a failed component. We identify all of them before we make a demand, because the first insurer to respond is rarely the only source of recovery.
Rental companies in Florida carry real obligations. They are required to provide safety instruction before releasing a vessel, and they can be held responsible for renting to someone who is inexperienced, impaired, or too young to operate it safely. The waiver you signed at the counter does not automatically end your claim, and we regularly pursue rental operators whose paperwork suggested otherwise.
Alcohol is the leading contributor to fatal boating accidents in Florida. A boating under the influence arrest or a chemical test result strengthens a civil claim considerably, and in some circumstances the person or business that served or supplied the alcohol may also bear responsibility. Even without an arrest, witness accounts and marine patrol records often establish impairment.
Nothing up front. We handle boating accident cases on a contingency fee, which means our fee comes out of the recovery, and you owe no attorney's fee if we do not resolve your case. The consultation is free and carries no obligation.
Contact our South Florida office to schedule a free, confidential consultation with an experienced maritime attorney. We will review the details of your case and help you understand your best course of action. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you incur no fees unless we successfully resolve your case. You have nothing to lose by getting the expert advice you deserve.
