{"id":958,"date":"2015-05-06T10:49:26","date_gmt":"2015-05-06T14:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/?post_type=article&#038;p=545"},"modified":"2020-03-25T17:33:46","modified_gmt":"2020-03-25T17:33:46","slug":"boat-accident-reporting-requirements","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/article\/boat-accident-reporting-requirements\/","title":{"rendered":"Boat Accident Reporting Requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Assisting Other Boaters<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/jdvnph74q9?dnt=1&#038;popover=true\" class=\"wistia-popover[height=393,playerColor=7b796a,width=699]\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-original=\"https:\/\/embed-ssl.wistia.com\/deliveries\/6e7f84015783b45bc253e3e8ed702133c811e5af.jpg?image_play_button=true&#038;image_play_button_color=7b796ae0&#038;image_crop_resized=600x338\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><script charset=\"ISO-8859-1\" src=\"\/\/fast.wistia.com\/assets\/external\/popover-v1.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>If you encounter, or are involved in, a boat accident or if another boater is in distress, you are required to provide them with assistance, so long as helping them does not place you, your passengers or your boat in a dangerous position. This is the case if you are in an accident with another boat, if you see or hear a distress signal, or if you simply suspect that there\u2019s trouble on the water. If you determine that it\u2019s too dangerous to approach the boat in distress, you must contact the appropriate authorities who <em>will <\/em>be able to provide the victims with assistance.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/REnderingAssistanceCrashedBoat.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-547\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/REnderingAssistanceCrashedBoat-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Rendering assistance to other boaters in distress\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/article-tag\/boat-accident\/\">Reporting a Boat Accident<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>Most boat accident types will require you to file an accident report with the state boating authority and with the local authorities. These accident types may include: Collisions, capsizing and person overboard emergencies, fire emergencies, etc.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you&#8217;ve been in a boating accident, you are required to:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stop and identify yourself to the other boater.<\/li>\n<li>Assist any boater in distress, so long as you are not placing yourself or your passengers in a dangerous situation.<\/li>\n<li>Obtain the following important information from the other boater: The date, time, accident location, name of each person who died or went missing, number and name of the boat, name and address of the owner and operator.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-546\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/REnderingAsFireBoat-011-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Boater calling for help for a boat fire\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Remember, you are required to file an official report with state authorities if any of the following occur during your boating trip:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A passenger is lost or is killed.<\/li>\n<li>There is a personal injury requiring medical treatment beyond first aid.<\/li>\n<li>The boat is completely destroyed and\/or lost.<\/li>\n<li>There is property damage in excess of the state threshold.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You may face a fine and\/or imprisonment if you fail to report a boat accident, if you fail to provide assistance to those in distress or if you fail to identify yourself to the authorities after being involved in an accident.<\/p>\n<p>Remember, most types of boat accidents WILL require you to file an official accident report. Be prepared to do this if you\u2019re ever involved in an accident on the water.<\/p>\n<h2>Sending for Help<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/8jsc5z01ip?dnt=1&#038;popover=true\" class=\"wistia-popover[height=393,playerColor=7b796a,width=699]\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/embed-ssl.wistia.com\/deliveries\/ef2c46a1788d9429cd610240ddf7461b8a78a67a.jpg?image_play_button=true&#038;image_play_button_color=7b796ae0&#038;image_crop_resized=600x338\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><script charset=\"ISO-8859-1\" src=\"\/\/fast.wistia.com\/assets\/external\/popover-v1.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>You should have a Very High Frequency (VHF) FM marine radio on board your boat, especially if you plan on going on longer boating trips or if you may be boating far from shore. VHF FM marine radios are much more reliable than cell phones because they provide communication between your boat and the Coast Guard as well as the other boaters around you.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/SendingForHelp11.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-548\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/SendingForHelp11-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Boater using VHF FM Radio to call for assistance\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Channel 16 is monitored day and night by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscg.mil\/\">Coast Guard<\/a>. They will send the appropriate assistance depending on whether the situation is one of distress (life-threatening) or non-distress (non-life threatening).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Using a VHF-FM Marine Radio:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use Channel 16 as an emergency channel ONLY.<\/li>\n<li>The code for distress is to say \u2018MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY\u2019.<\/li>\n<li>Be prepared to provide the Coast Guard with the following information:\n<ul>\n<li>Your location<\/li>\n<li>The exact nature of the problem<\/li>\n<li>The number of people on board your boat<\/li>\n<li>The boat name, color, type, size and registration<\/li>\n<li>The safety equipment you have on board your boat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can download our Quick Reference Guide, which includes this information, at <a href=\"http:\/\/boatsmartexam.com\">BoatSmartExam.com\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","article-category":[13],"article-tag":[112,247,23,24,44,83],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v14.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Boat Accident Reporting Requirements in the USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The laws in regards to assisting other boaters in distress, plus how to report a boat accident, how to signal for help and use a VHF-FM Marine Radio.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/article\/boat-accident-reporting-requirements\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Boat Accident Reporting Requirements in the USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The laws in regards to assisting other boaters in distress, plus how to report a boat accident, how to signal for help and use a VHF-FM Marine Radio.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/article\/boat-accident-reporting-requirements\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BOATsmart! 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