Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements
of Boating
Boating Accidents & Casualties—What the Law Requires
You To Do
An operator involved in a boating accident must:
- Stop his or her vessel immediately at the scene of the accident and …
- Assist anyone injured or in danger from the accident, unless doing so
would seriously endanger his or her own vessel or passengers and …
- Give, in writing, his or her name, address, and vessel identification
to anyone injured and to the owner of any property damaged by the
accident.
The operator of a vessel involved in an accident must
submit a written report to the Alabama Marine Police Division
if as a result of the accident:
- A person dies or disappears or …
- A person is injured and remains incapacitated for
more than 72 hours or …
- Damage to the vessel and other property exceeds
$2,000.
Reports of accidents must be made within 10 days of the
accident on the forms provided by Marine Police officers,
the Marine Police Division, or county sheriff's offices.
A uniformed Marine Police officer, county sheriff, or
other authorized enforcement officer may arrest, at the
scene of the accident, any person they reasonably believe
contributed to the accident.
A person who unlawfully and unintentionally causes the
death of another person, while engaged in violation of
any boating law or regulation, will be guilty of homicide.
