An Alabama jury awarded $3.43 million recently to a man who lost a majority of his right leg in a personal watercraft accident. In August 2000, the defendant, William Petty-Fitzmorris, slammed his vessel into the back of plaintiff William Steen's personal watercraft. Due to the seriousness of his injuries, physicians were forced to amputate Steen's right leg above the knee.

A liability claim against the watercraft's unnamed manufacturer alleging an off-throttle steering defect caused the craft to have no steering capability when Petty-Fitzmorris released the throttle was previously settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.