Water Sports and Rental Injuries

Summers on the North Shore, Cape Cod, New Hampshire lakes, and Florida beaches mean tubing, waterskiing, wakeboarding, parasailing, kayaking, and paddleboarding. When an operator is careless or a rental company cuts corners, these activities can cause catastrophic injuries and drownings. Muggeo & Associates represents injured participants and families.

Activities and Common Causes

Tubing, waterskiing, and wakeboarding: sharp turns, towing near docks, rocks, or other boats, no spotter, excessive speed, and impaired operators
Parasailing: equipment failure, towline breaks, and operating in high winds or approaching storms
Kayak, canoe, and paddleboard rentals: missing or ill-fitting life jackets, no instruction about tides, currents, and weather, and launching renters into busy channels
Wake surfing and propeller injuries: riders too close to the stern, carbon monoxide near the swim platform, and propeller strikes
Guided tours and charters: inadequate supervision, overcrowding, and poor emergency response

Who May Be Responsible

Boat operators and owners
Rental companies, outfitters, and tour operators
Resorts, hotels, and camps that offer water activities
Equipment manufacturers for defective tow ropes, harnesses, boards, and life jackets
Other boaters whose negligence caused a collision

Releases and Waivers

Rental companies almost always ask customers to sign a release. In Massachusetts, clear releases are generally enforced for ordinary negligence, but they do not usually protect against gross negligence or reckless conduct. Whether federal maritime law, Massachusetts law, or Florida law governs can change the analysis, so the document and the location of the accident both matter.

Vacation and Out-of-State Injuries

Many water sports injuries happen at vacation destinations. See Travel and Resort Injuries and Florida Boating Accidents. Contracts may contain venue, forum, and shortened deadline clauses, so keep all booking and rental paperwork.

We represent injured people and families along the North Shore and across Massachusetts, including Salem, Marblehead, Swampscott, Beverly, Gloucester, Newburyport, Lynn, and Cape Cod and the Islands, as well as clients in New Hampshire and Florida.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sue after being hurt while tubing or waterskiing?

Yes, when the boat operator or another party was negligent, for example by turning sharply, towing near hazards, operating without a spotter, or operating while impaired. Passengers and riders often recover through the boat owner’s insurance.

Are rental waivers enforceable?

Often, for ordinary negligence. In Massachusetts, courts generally enforce clear releases, as the Supreme Judicial Court did in Sharon v. City of Newton, 437 Mass. 99 (2002), but releases generally do not bar claims for gross negligence or reckless conduct. Federal maritime law and Florida law have their own rules.

What about kayak and paddleboard rentals?

Rental companies must provide equipment in safe condition, appropriate life jackets, and reasonable instruction and warnings about conditions. Claims may arise when a company sends renters out in dangerous wind, tide, or weather, or into areas with heavy boat traffic.

What if the accident happened on vacation?

Water sports injuries often happen at resorts and on vacations. Contracts may require claims to be filed in a particular place or within a short time. Act quickly and keep all booking and rental paperwork.

Talk With a Boating and Water Injury Attorney

If you or a family member was hurt in a tubing, waterskiing, parasailing, kayak, or paddleboard accident, call Muggeo & Associates at (978) 741-1177, text the same number, or request a consultation online. We answer calls 24/7. Offices in Salem, Massachusetts and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Maritime deadlines and notice rules can be short, so contact us promptly.

This page provides general information, not legal advice. Laws change and every situation is different. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship. Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes. Last reviewed November 2026.

Call or Text (978) 741-1177 to Schedule Your Consultation