James O. Cunningham 
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Camp Lejeune LawsuitsBoating Accident | Orlando Accident & Injury Blog - Part 6
Florida Man Sentenced to 18 Days in Jail in Connection With Fatal Boating Accident
A Middleburg man convicted of reckless boating in connection with a boating accident that killed two teens has been sentenced to serve 18 days in jail, or time served since his arrest in February. The man pleaded no contest to the reckless boating charges and was facing up to one year in jail. He cried in court when his sentence was handed down and walked from the courtroom a free man after time served fulfilled sentencing requirements. He said that the crash had destroyed his life and is a cautionary tale for boaters everywhere as one of his victims was the man’s own son.
Florida Man Enters No Contest Plea in Connection With Fatal Boating Accident
Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham would like to remind boaters to exercise extra care while on Florida’s waterways and cautions them to avoid drinking alcohol while in control of watercraft. A 41-year-old Deltona man charged with careless operation of a vessel in connection with a boating accident that killed a DeLand woman and her father has entered a no contest plea. The man entered the plea after Volusia County Judge Belle B. Schumann dismissed two similar counts against him. The judge decided to dismiss the two charges due to double jeopardy concerns because all three charges were filed due to one boating accident.
Jupiter Man Critically Injured in Boating Accident
James O. Cunningham and other Orlando personal injury lawyers would like to remind boaters to exercise extra care as we enter the heavy traffic season on Florida waterways. The following story illustrates the dangers of not taking boating safety seriously:
One Boater Dead and Another Missing in Boating Accident Near Sunshine Skyway Bridge
One boater is dead, and another is missing after a Florida boating accident near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg. The investigation into the accident is still ongoing, but officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say that a six-year-old boy was pulled from the water late Friday, May 27, and that he is in an area hospital receiving treatment for undisclosed injuries. The body of a 44-year-old man was recovered near the scene of the accident, and a 34-year-old man who investigators believe was injured in the accident was also pulled from the water. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham cautions boaters to exercise proper safety precautions as area waterways grow increasingly crowded.
Boating Safety Tips and Florida Boating Accident Statistics
Florida’s boating season never really ends, but this is the time of year that traffic starts getting heavy on our state’s waterways. With that in mind, Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham would like to remind boaters and passengers about some basic boating safety rules. First, Florida law states that anyone aboard a watercraft on state waters must have a United States Coast Guard-approved flotation device easily accessible. Only those aged six years and younger must wear a flotation device at all times, but recent high-profile drowning deaths serve as a sober reminder that it is very risky to go boating without a life vest no matter how good a swimmer you may be.
Florida Boaters Urged to Prevent Drowning Accidents
Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham warns that the recent drowning death of a man who was a champion wrestler, experienced boater and capable swimmer highlights the need for all Florida boaters to practice boating safety. He also urges boaters to ensure that they have safety equipment on their watercraft as our state’s boating season gets underway in the coming weeks. The drowning victim was a 30-year-old man in excellent physical condition, but, when his boat capsized on Lake Rochelle in Lake Alfred, he was unable to swim to shore.
Two Teens Killed in Florida Boating Accident
Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham is closely following developments in a recent boating accident that killed two teenaged passengers and critically injured the father of one of the victims in Black Creek. The accident occurred on February 21 around 2:30 in the afternoon. The 17- and 15-year-old victims were sitting on the bow of a boat that witnesses said was “moving at a pretty good speed” when they were struck in the head and chest by a tree branch hanging three or four feet above the water’s surface.
FWC Urges Boaters to Follow Safety Rules
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission urge boaters and their passengers to take a refresher course in boating safety for everyone’s benefit. Florida’s waterways and coasts offer some of the best recreational boating in the country. However, on too many occasions the operators of watercraft fail to honor their responsibilities and drink alcohol to the excess while on the water, don’t observe speed and wake restrictions and people are hurt and killed.
Under Florida law, it is illegal to operate a vessel of any kind while impaired by alcohol and other drugs. An operator suspected of boating under the influence must submit to sobriety tests and a physical or chemical test to determine blood-alcohol content. As with motor vehicle sobriety laws, a vessel operator is legally drunk with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or above.
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.