Florida is often cited as the wakeboard capital of the world, but it can also be a place for plenty of injuries. Many boat enthusiasts assume that wakeboarding is a safe sport because the water is a soft place to land. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Like any other extreme sport, becoming a talented wake boarder involves taking risks and these risks often end in injury. While some men and women may be willing to suffer these injuries, there are times that the risks may not be worth it for an amateur. There are many ways that one can be injured wake boarding. First, a hard fall at a fast speed has the possibility to create all sorts of fractures or whiplash. When a person is pulled over his or her wakeboard, and hits the water headfirst, it is often a painful experience.
Sometimes, the pain simply comes from a headache or water rushing up the nose, but there are times that the impact can bring on a headache, concussion or a painful whiplash. The force of the water at a high speed creates a slap, and the water won’t be a soft landing place like you might assume. Second, when your feet are connected to the board through bindings, it can create the potential for a broken leg. You cannot move your feet, so if your leg twists the wrong way because of a large swell in the water or an awkward fall, it can cause the bone to snap. A third danger in wakeboarding is the tow rope. This rope is necessary to pull a boarder behind the ski boat, but it comes with the potential to strangle, burn, or even sever.
In some cases, men and women who wrap the rope around their hand will have fingers sliced off by a violent tug as the boat starts moving. Other times a boater may get the rope tangled around their neck. If the boat is moving, this can even cause death. These are only a few of the ways that wakeboarding can create serious dangers, so be careful if you decide to undertake this dangerous sport. If you were forced to participate in wakeboarding against your will, or were injured because of someone else’s negligence, then consider a personal injury lawsuit to get the damages you deserve.