Boat Owners Association
Urges Boaters
To Be Wary Of Inexperienced Salvors
Contact Your
Insurance Company Before Any Salvage Effort is Made
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) is urging
boat owners affected by Hurricane Charley to be wary of inexperienced
salvors who may be attempting to assist unsuspecting boaters. The Association,
which also insures over $8 billion in recreational boats nationwide,
says that it’s already identified cases of improper salvage efforts.
“We
strongly urge all boat owners to contact their insurer as soon as they
can, and advise that boaters should never sign or agree to any salvage
effort without notifying their insurance company first,” said
BoatU.S. Catastrophe Team Leader Carroll Robertson. “There are
dozens of trucking, barge, and crane firms rushing to affected areas
and most of them are providing valuable services, but problems can arise
due to lack of specific experience in boat salvage operations. Further
damage can result and boaters need to eliminate that possibility by
contacting their insurer who has already identified knowledgeable and
professional salvors. Just because someone has a barge and crane does
not mean they have the skills to successfully salvage a vessel, “
she continued.
Often times
boats are tangled in a “pick-up sticks” fashion after a
hurricane and salvage efforts need to be coordinated among several insurers.
“If someone decides – without notifying their insurer first
– that their boat at the bottom of a pile needs to come out now,
they could be personally liable for the damage caused to the other vessels,”
added Robertson.
BoatU.S.
insureds can call 24 hours a day, toll free at (800) 937-1937 to file
a claim or log onto http://www.BoatUS.com/insurance/claims.htm
BoatU.S.
is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters and
provides its 575,000 members with a wide array of consumer services.
