Boating Safety Course - Boating Accident Reports

Chapter 8 - Accidents
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Boating Accident Reports

Federal law states that if you are involved in a boating accident that includes injury requiring medical treatment, death, disappearance of a person, or property damage of at least $2000, you are required to file an accident report with the responsible local law enforcement agency. Additionally, you are required to file an accident report with the state boating authority.

If you are involved in an accident:

You are required to stop and give assistance to other persons involved. You must give aid to the extent you can do so without endangering yourself or your passengers.
You are also required to give your name and address and the number of your vessel (if numbered), in writing, to the owner of any property damaged in the accident.

Many states have different reportable amounts - check your state-specific information. If in doubt, report the accident.

Boating accidents include; capsizing, crew overboard, collisions, fire, sinking & flooding, explosions and disappearance.

Washington - Accident Reporting:

By law, a boat operator/owner must report any accident causing damage over $500, requiring medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of life or disappearance of any person engaged in recreational boating. Contact the local law enforcement agency or the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission for boating accident reports.

Serious injury accidents, fatalities or disappearances are required to be investigated by local law enforcement authorities.

The boating accident report that you complete is confidential and may help save lives in the future. The report will be used by State Parks only to develop boating safety programs. The report cannot, by law, be used in any court or trial resulting from the accident.

When an accident happens the vessel's operator must offer practical assistance to save the people aboard the stricken vessel from danger, when doing so does not seriously endanger the operator's own vessel and passengers. State law has a "Good Samaritan" clause for mariners who offer help in an emergency:

Under no circumstances may the rendering of assistance or other compliance with this section be evidence of the liability of such operator for the collision, accident, or casualty.

Any person who gratuitously and in good faith renders assistance at the scene of a vessel collision, accident, or other casualty, without objection of the person assisted, shall not be held liable for any civil damages as a result of the rendering of assistance or for any act or omission in providing or arranging salvage, towage, medical treatment, or other assistance, where the assisting person acts as any reasonably prudent person would have acted under the same or similar circumstances. (Reference: RCW 79A.60.200).

Failure to provide assistance or identify yourself when involved in an accident is a serious offense and can carry a severe fine or even imprisonment.

A sample of an accident report can be seen here.

State: WA