A boating accident can leave you injured, overwhelmed with medical bills, and unsure of how to move forward. Just like auto insurance companies, insurers representing at-fault boat owners and operators will work to limit how much they pay by shifting blame. They will argue you weren’t following proper watercraft safety rules or that you could have avoided the accident, in an effort to reduce their responsibility.
Under South Carolina’s “modified comparative negligence” rule, your compensation will be reduced according to your percentage of fault, and if you’re found 51% or more at fault, you lose the ability to recover damages entirely. Insurers want to avoid paying more than necessary, so they dispute liability and try to push fault onto others, including you.
Auger & Auger Accident and Injury Lawyers was established to take on insurance company tactics and remove the legal burden from injured victims. Our boating accident lawyers in North Myrtle Beach protect families from unfair blame by securing evidence of negligence and identifying all available liability coverage. As experienced North Myrtle Beach personal injury lawyers, we build trial-ready cases designed to withstand insurer pressure.
Plus, our A&A Zero Fee Guarantee™ allows you to hire our team at no upfront cost. We do not charge attorney fees unless we secure compensation for you. Call us now for a free initial consultation.
Why Choose Us to Fight for Your Boating Accident Claim?
In South Carolina boating accident cases, insurers representing boat owners, rental companies, or businesses operating tours will lean on the state’s modified comparative negligence law to avoid paying what they owe. They will argue you were partially or mostly to blame for the accident, just enough to put you over the legal threshold so that they won’t have to pay as much or anything at all.
For example, a boat rental company’s insurer will claim you failed to follow basic safety protocols, like wearing a life jacket or keeping a safe speed, even if the rental company failed to inspect the boat properly. A tour boat operator’s insurer will argue you weren’t paying attention at the time of the collision.
Since 1995, our firm has been fighting back against bad-faith insurer tactics, recovering over $100 million for our clients. We’ve faced these tactics from every angle and take specific steps to protect your claim:
- We push back when insurers shift blame onto you with documentation from an independent investigation. We examine GPS data or consult with accident reconstruction specialists to challenge their determination of fault.
- We scrutinize boating businesses that failed to inspect or maintain a boat or that rushed or omitted a safety briefing. We use maintenance logs, staff records, and safety reports to expose their negligence.
- We identify all sources of compensation and evaluate how South Carolina’s liability laws apply to each responsible party. We investigate boat owners, rental companies, or operators to hold their insurers responsible for paying what you’re owed.
Our family-run firm prides itself on removing the burden of the claims process from our clients. We handle the deadlines and insurer communications. This is what we’ve been doing for decades, and it’s why we’re trusted to handle injury claims like yours.
How Insurers Avoid Paying After a Boating Accident
As of January 1, 2026, the South Carolina Tort Reform and Liquor Liability Act (Act 42) took effect. Under these new guidelines, a party that is less than 50% at fault only pays its share of damages. If a party is 50% or more at fault, they could be required to pay the total damages under joint and several liability.
Tactics insurers use to minimize how much they have to pay you include:
- Disputing fault to push their share below 50%. By shifting liability to others, insurers try to keep their policyholders from crossing the 50% threshold, thereby minimizing their payouts.
- Blaming you to reduce their responsibility. Insurers will argue that you acted negligently and contributed to the collision.
- Pointing fingers at others. They may claim another party or entity, even those not named in the lawsuit, is more at fault, dividing the responsibility and lowering payment obligations.
How Our Boating Accident Attorneys in North Myrtle Beach Push Back
With decades of experience handling boating accident claims, we counter insurer tactics to protect your right to fair compensation. Our North Myrtle Beach boating accident attorneys:
- Identify every responsible party and all available insurance. Whether it’s a boat operator, rental company, or equipment manufacturer, we review every potentially liable party to pursue compensation from all applicable policies.
- Preserve evidence early on. We send demand letters and subpoenas to secure official reports, maintenance logs, photos, and other evidence to refute insurer arguments.
- Demand fair compensation. If a party is 50% or more at fault under the updated laws, we pursue the total damages from them under joint and several liability.
- Push back strongly in negotiations. We challenge insurer blame-shifting and stall tactics while working to achieve a settlement that fully reflects your damages.
These updates to South Carolina’s liability laws give insurers even more tools to reduce payouts, but we know how to block their tactics and protect your recovery.
Delay Tactics Insurers Use in Boating Accident Claims
The three-year statute of limitations under S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530 requires that personal injury lawsuits, including those for most boating accidents, be filed within three years of the incident. Insurers know this deadline well and intentionally use stalling tactics to reduce payouts or avoid paying altogether. They also know that being in settlement negotiations does not pause or extend this legal deadline.
Insurers may drag out the process to waste time and keep you in negotiations until the filing deadline passes. Even late in the process, they might offer a lower settlement with the hope that you’ll accept out of fear that time is running out.
We don’t let this happen. Once you hire us, we immediately take steps to protect your right to recover compensation by securing evidence and preparing to file your claim. If insurers try to stall, we push back, keeping the case moving forward quickly and decisively. If delays persist, we’re ready to escalate to litigation well within the statute of limitations. While they waste time, we make every minute count.
Our A&A Zero Fee Guarantee™ Allows Us to Begin Your Case Now
With our A&A Zero Fee Guarantee™, we work on a contingency fee basis, meaning we move your case forward after you receive your free initial consultation, and you only pay us if we secure compensation for you. This way, you have the resources necessary to combat insurer tactics.
Delays are a tool insurers use to avoid accountability, but we make sure the statutory deadline never puts your case at risk.
Our North Myrtle Beach Boating Collision Lawyers Are Here to Handle the Claims Process
Insurers representing parties involved in a boating accident rely on delay tactics, liability disputes, and blame-shifting to pay as little as possible, or nothing at all. Our boating collision attorneys work so that these strategies don’t jeopardize your right to compensation.
Our team handles the insurance adjusters and manages all the legal paperwork for you so you do not have to carry this logistical burden alone. Reach out to Auger & Auger today for your free initial consultation.
