While maritime accidents are obviously more common in some parts of the country than others, no region of the United States is spared the grief of shipwrecks and sinkings. Although maritime travel has become exponentially safer over the years, these stories are still in the headlines on a regular basis. If you’ve suffered an injury or the loss of a loved one, talking to a maritime attorney is your next step.
BoatLaw, LLP focuses exclusively on maritime law cases, giving us an in-depth understanding of the nuances of this area of law. Led by attorneys Douglas Williams and Nick Neidzwski, our vessel sinkings law firm fights for justice on behalf of clients across the country. Call us at 1-800-BOATLAW to set up a time to discuss your case now.
We’ll break down injuries and deaths from sinkings in recent history region by region.
New England
The jagged coastline of New England means that shipwrecks and sinkings are all too common, as vessel sinkings lawyers have seen year after year. In 2022, a fishing boat sunk off the coast of Massachusetts and caused four fatalities. A sinking boat in the Grape Island area left multiple people with serious injuries. Three fishermen lost their lives when bad weather sunk a scallop boat in Massachusetts.
Mideast
This region, also with many miles of coastline, sees many sinking vessels every year. Many A fishing boat sunk off of the New Jersey coast early in 2025 and led to multiple fatalities. In 2023, a massive yacht sank in Edgewater, Maryland. There were five people aboard at the time of the sinking, and luckily, they only suffered minor injuries.
Southeast
The Southeast region of the United States includes the southern part of the East Coast and much of the land surrounding the Gulf of Mexico. One recent incident involved a boat on Lake Hartwell, where four people were participating in a fishing tournament. The boat took on water caused by high winds and ultimately sank. Three were rescued and one person died as a result of the sinking. A maritime accident off the Gulf Coast in 2025 left two people clinging for life to a buoy. They were injured but ultimately recovered. A devastating incident in Blakeley River in 2025 resulted in the rescue of a man and his child, but claimed the life of another man.
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes region is home to some of the most well-known shipwrecks in history; the passage between Lake Michigan and the Bay of Green Bay is known as Death’s Door or Porte des Morts. It’s home to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. A fatal Door County sinking in 2024 left two children and their father dead, and a capsized boat in Lake Michigan left one injured and two dead.
Plains
While the Plains region of the United States doesn’t have any ocean coastline, vessel sinkings attorneys do still see some accidents in this region. In 2024, a boat sunk in Minnesota’s Otter Tail County with four children aboard. While three were uninjured, one child did suffer minor injuries. One accident that has captured national attention involved a Missouri duck boat that sank and killed 17.
Southwest
This part of the country sees a substantial amount of sinkings, although Texas obviously makes up a significant portion of them due to its coastline. In 2024, a tugboat sank in the Houston Ship Channel. While rescuers did save four boaters, but one did die in the sinking. In 2024, a dozen boats were either beached or sunk by monsoon storms in Arizona.
Rocky Mountains
Although maritime accidents are relatively rare in this part of the country, accidents do still occur in the region’s lakes and rivers, requiring the assistance of vessel sinkings lawyers. In one 2024 sinking in Utah, a man found himself stuck in the Jordanelle Reservoir when storms hit. He was nearly to safety when he spotted three paddle boarders and stopped to save them, and at that point, his own boat sank.
West Coast
The West Coast easily has some of the highest vessel sinking rates in the country. One search for missing boaters ended in the discovery that all five boaters died when their vessel sank off of California’s coast. Three men suffered hypothermia after their boat sank in Washington and left them floating among debris.
Start Your Claim With BoatLaw, LLP Today
At our maritime law firm, we are committed to helping victims like you seek fair compensation. Set up a time to meet with our team now by calling us at 1-800-BOATLAW or getting in touch online.
Nicholas J. Neidzwski is a trial attorney who handles maritime and personal injury litigation. Appearing for plaintiffs in state and federal courts throughout Washington, California, Oregon, Alaska, and other jurisdictions. Nick’s litigation experience includes the successful resolution of various Jones Act, general maritime, and product liability cases on behalf of many different individuals. Nick was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers 2016 through 2024. Learn more here.
