Bill requiring insurance for boaters proceeding

A state Assembly committee released legislation Monday to require that all New Jersey boaters carry liability insurance on their vessels.

“Right now, there is no guarantee that a family will be compensated in the event a loved one is hurt or killed in a boating accident on New Jersey’s waters,” said Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-19), who co-sponsored the bill with Assemblyman Neil Cohen (D-20). “It is a glaring omission of law and it must be corrected.”

Officials said they realized the need for the law through the case of Veronica McGloan, whose husband, Donald, was killed in an explosion aboard a friend’s boat in June 2002. The McGloan family, of South Amboy, received nothing to cover Donald’s medical or funeral costs, or pain and suffering, because the friend did not have liability insurance on his vessel.

“The families of those injured or killed on New Jersey’s waterways have no less a right to adequate compensation as the families of those hurt or killed on our roads,” Cohen said.

The legislation would require boaters who register their vessels with the state to maintain liability coverage insuring against a passenger’s injury or death. The assemblymen noted that many, but not all, private marinas in New Jersey already require vessels moored at their docks to be insured in case of an accident that damages marina property or other boats.

Under the bill, coverage limits would be set at $100,000 for one person in any accident and $200,000 should an accident injure or kill more than one person.

Boat owners who fail to carry the necessary liability insurance would be subject to fines of between $300 and $1,000 and a one-year suspension of their boating license. Boaters who fail to insure their vessels after a first offense would be punished by fines of up to $5,000 and a two-week jail term.

If enacted, New Jersey would become the first state to mandate boaters to carry such coverage.

“Had Donald McGloan died in a car accident, his family would have received some compensation to pay for his medical and funeral expenses,” Wisniewski said.

“However, since he died aboard a boat, they received nothing. We must correct this disparity so families can have the peace of mind by knowing certain costs will not rest squarely on their shoulders, as was the case for the McGloans.”

The Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee unanimously released the bill. It now heads to the Assembly speaker, who decides if and when to post it for a floor vote.