New York, NY personal injury attorney Michael Ronemus tells us about the jetski liability case he’s handling. He shares that he is currently handling a particularly complex and tragic case that has been ongoing for five years. His client, while visiting a beach in Long Island with a friend, was approached by two individuals riding jet skis. They invited the women to ride, and while his client’s friend boarded one, his client rode the other. The operator accelerated suddenly, causing her to fall off the back of the jet ski. The high-pressure jet from the watercraft struck her with devastating force, resulting in catastrophic injuries to her vaginal and rectal areas.

She was immediately hospitalized, placed in a coma for two weeks, and has undergone approximately twelve surgeries in an effort to repair the extensive damage. The injuries are permanent; she must now use a catheter for the rest of her life—a condition known in medical terms as an orifice injury.

He has filed a product liability lawsuit against the jet ski manufacturer. The case is scheduled for trial this summer. In preparation, engineers were consulted to redesign a jet ski seat to prevent this type of injury in the future. The manufacturer’s defense is that riders should wear neoprene wetsuit bottoms, which they claim would have prevented the injury.

Product liability cases such as this are inherently challenging. The plaintiff must prove the existence of a defective and unreasonably dangerous product. Historically, jet ski manufacturers have prevailed in most trials, making this a particularly demanding case. Nonetheless, he believes that the evidence and expert testimony he has assembled present a strong case, and the matter is proceeding to trial in June.