Just like motorcycles on land, jet skis are the coolest ride on the water; however, with that level of thrill comes serious responsibility.
From improper training from rental companies to inexperienced riders, jet skis and other watercrafts are responsible for over 1,000 deaths in the United States from 2020 to 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Report, which was released on May 16, 2024. A little over 17% of these deaths occurred in July.
A couple in Arizona made national headlines this week after a wife tragically discovered her husband floating in a lake after he fell from a rented jet ski on Sunday at Lake Pleasant. The couple had rented the jet ski at Scorpion Bay, according to reporting from The Miami Herald, and experienced a “mechanical issue.” When they attempted to make a U-turn, they fell into the water.
The wife found her husband facedown in the water and could not flip him over. Passersby saw the woman struggling and brought her and her husband on board where they administered CPR until first responders arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Both had been wearing life jackets at the time of the incident. The wife was not injured. It was unclear whether the man hit his head, causing him to go unconscious. An official cause of death has yet to be released as of Wednesday.
Sadly, this story is not uncommon for jet skis. With brief “trainings” given to novice riders from negligent rental companies, unpredictable weather conditions, tourists and other jet ski beginners are set loose on unfamiliar waters without proper guidance. The end result is often tragedy.
Justin B. Shapiro, a Partner at Leesfield & Partners, spoke out about these same issues which has become a pressing problem for Floridians and tourists alike.
“Jet ski rentals are aggressively marketed as an ‘entry-level’ activity, when in reality, jet skis are full-blown death machines,” he wrote in the article. “They require vast knowledge and expertise to operate safely and even then, they can produce grievous injuries.”
In decades of personal injury litigation in a state with over 1,300 miles of coastline, Leesfield & Partners has seen no water-related activity produce more serious injuries and death than jet ski rentals. This is because, Mr. Shapiro pointed out in his article, jet skis require more strength, knowledge and skill than can be provided in a five-minute tutorial. In continuing to allow patrons onto these high-powered machines with such exiguous training, these companies are profiting off of the vulnerable and putting the lives of their customers at risk.
While the state has stepped in to add safety requirements such as check-rides, a mandatory step that rental companies must take in order to check their customer can handle the machine, following a tutorial. With these mandates in place, however, jet ski rental companies seldom follow these rules.
“Providing adequate safety instructions is time-consuming and almost always takes a backseat to corporate greed in this industry,” Mr. Shapiro said.
Leesfield & Partners
In Florida, where Leesfield & Partners has been practicing personal injury law for over 48 years, there were 151 personal watercraft accidents, according to the latest 2023 data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This data comes from the agency’s official Boating Accident Statistical Report, which details boating accidents, injuries and fatalities on the water. In all, Florida had 659 reportable boating accidents in 2023.
Key West, where Leesfield & Partners has one of three Florida offices, is known to be the jet ski capital of the world. With that, it is not surprising to learn that jet ski rental companies line Monroe County beaches to attract the business of unsuspecting tourists. In the last six years, the firm has obtained over $10 million in results for clients injured in jet ski-related incidents.
In 2023, at least 23% of the 659 reportable accidents investigated by FWC officers involved personal watercrafts. More than half of these incidents involved a collision with another vessel. These incidents resulted in the deaths of at least 12 people and the injury to 115 others.
Previous Cases
Mr. Shapiro is representing a woman who was injured while on a jet ski excursion as she traveled on a cruise ship. Our client was hit by the jet ski tour operator during the excursion, suffering multiple spinal fractures and severe injuries.
That case is ongoing.
Leesfield & Partners previously handled a case in which a jet ski rental company failed to ensure all their customers understood a safety briefing. While they were out on the water, a French-speaking tourist struck and killed our client’s wife because he did not understand the tutorial.
The firm secured a multi-million-dollar result in that case for the grieving husband.
In another case, the firm secured $1.65 million for a client injured in a horrific jet ski accident.
A $1 million result was obtained for a client injured in a separate jet ski-involved accident.
Leesfield & Partners represented a woman following a boat and jet ski crash that left her severely injured. The firm secured $935,000 for the woman in that case.
A $900,000 award was obtained following a jet ski crash involving a negligent rental company.
The firm represented one man who was in a jet ski collision involving machinery from a rental company. Leesfield & Partners secured $636,000 for the man.
A case against another rental company whose negligence resulted in a crash involving our client resulted in a $580,000 recovery.