In early September, a fisherman from Terrebonne Parish filed a federal lawsuit against Crosby & Son Towing for creating an excessive wake that allegedly caused him severe injury.

According to the lawsuit, the boating accident occurred Feb. 10, 2010, when Donald Smith was fishing from a 14-foot flat boat in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The M/V Webb Crosby, a 72-foot model bow tug operated by the defendant, created a large wake that swamped Smith's smaller vessel. Crosby & Son Towing is accused of negligence for failing to obey speed limits, in manning the M/V Webb Crosby with a crew of insufficiently experienced seamen and in causing an excessive wake. Smith is asking for over $1 million in compensation for permanent disability, physical and mental suffering, embarrassment, interest, and court costs.

Large Vessels May Present Safety Threat

The outcome of Smith's case is far from certain, however. The potential danger posed by large boats is common knowledge among all experienced seafarers.

Collision is perhaps the most obvious danger when two vessels meet on the high seas. A large vessel may suffer mere scratches in a crash that dispatches a smaller craft to the depths of Davy Jones' Locker.

Adherence to the standard Steering Rules and an extra measure of caution from large boat skippers can prevent collisions when vessels meet. Wakes, however, pose an entirely different type of threat. Often, by the time a large boat's wake reaches a smaller skiff, the offending vessel is already disappearing over the horizon.

The primary responsibility for controlling wakes lies with the operators of larger vessels. When in the vicinity of smaller boats, large vessels should proceed at slower speeds and maintain a reasonable distance. Wake size can also be reduced by ensuring that propellers are in the proper condition and cargo is loaded evenly and in accordance with available horsepower.

For their part, when meeting a large wake, boaters can mitigate the danger by reducing speed (without stopping), turning into the wake at about a 45 degree angle and warning all passages to seat themselves away from the bow. Overloaded boats are at a far greater risk of being swamped.

Contact an Attorney If You Have Been Injured

Several deaths, a multitude of serious injuries like broken vertebrae and compression fractures and millions in property damage result from excessive wakes every year. If you have suffered harm at the hands of a large vessel, contact a Louisiana maritime accident lawyer today to discuss your rights to compensation.