N.J. Bill Would Require Liability Insurance for Boats

March 3, 2008

  • March 4, 2008 at 4:53 am
    DM says:
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    the bill is not for Canoes, it’s for powered boats.

  • March 4, 2008 at 4:56 am
    GB says:
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    if you do something to cause the death ( or injury ) of someone else, yes you should be responsible….but this law tries to make every death a financial event and takes the stance that someone should always be forced to pay when someone dies. If I negligently run you over in my boat, I should be held responsible….but if I invite you fishing and you fall overboard and drown, or get struck by lightning, that’s just unfortunate. I shouldn’t have to pay for that.

  • March 4, 2008 at 4:57 am
    Sandi says:
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    The cost of insurance is minimal. If you can afford a boat, you can afford insurance. You can not compare a motorized vehicle to a bike or skateboard. It is the responsible thing to do. It is a tragedy, and it is not about seeking compensation for a life, lives are not replaceable or bought, it is about being responsible. Yes, there is risk in everything we do, but I bet there are many, many people who do not even know that insurance is not required, they assume it is because it just makes sense. Do you get in a car and ask the driver if they have insurance, or do you just assume that they do?? I support this bill 100%.

  • March 4, 2008 at 5:01 am
    GB says:
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    So the bill is only for powerboats. There are some pretty big sail boats in NJ…..shouldn’t they be forced to carry insurance as well ?

    The problem with this is it makes the assumption that every death deserves compensation. That’s a faulty foundation to go around making laws on.

  • March 4, 2008 at 5:16 am
    VMCG says:
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    To carry insurance is the right thing to do. this was not the first un insured boat accident in NJ what about the 28 year old man that left behind 4 children. What was his wife to do?

  • March 4, 2008 at 5:19 am
    Kevin says:
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    I also support this bill 100%. Anyone out there who doesn’t is just looking out for their own personal interests and is just plain ignorant and selfish. Operating a motorized boat should require liability insurance just as it is the LAW to have car insurance. And it would come at a MUCH CHEAPER price. I can’t believe, as in many things in life, it takes a tragedy to wake people up.

  • March 4, 2008 at 5:21 am
    GB says:
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    what is she to do ?!?!?! She should have had life insurance. Every death is tragic and a burden on those left behind…but that doesn’t mean you get to stick someone with the bill.

    If this bill goes through, people are going to try to collect for deaths that aren’t necessarily anyone fault. If I ask you to go fishing and you have a heart attack on my boat…that’s not a compensatable event. Once there is insurance and a bunch of lawyers it will become a lawsuit. It will also cause people to register their boats out of state, costing the state tax revenue

  • March 4, 2008 at 5:31 am
    DM says:
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    Anyway, I support this bill 100% It is the right thing to do, carry insurance on your boat.

  • March 4, 2008 at 6:02 am
    sandi says:
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    I also would like to point out the medical costs that must have been involved. He lived for almost 2 days. They used a helicoptor for transport, not to mention the intense medical care at the hospital. His family was left with the medical bills. I bet the proposed coverage wouldn’t even cover part of what they must owe. The family is still responsible for the bills. Just because you die doesn’t make it go away. Insurance could have helped pay for that. It’s not millions of dollars in settlements. You really need to look at the whole picture.

  • March 5, 2008 at 8:14 am
    GB says:
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    All of the “support” arguments seem to be based around the financial burden on the deceased’s family. I am sure it was very hard on them to have all those bills to face, but there is already an insurance product to deal with that. Life Insurance is specifically designed to cover the burden of the medical bills and loss of future income when a person dies. Trying to create a new insurance product for every scenario in which a person can die is insane. Here we are talking about boat insurance. If I were to lend you my bicycle, should I have bicycle insurance ? I have an extra pair of skis, do I need “ski liability insurance” ? Where does it end ???

    Not every financial burden can be passed on to somoene else. This family had a tragic thing happen, but that doesn’t mean someone else should have to pay for it. They should have had life insurance. I would rather see a law that obligates every parent get life insurance. That would make more a lot sense than this.



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