Find a boat accident lawyer in Austin: who responds on each lake and how to report
On Lake Austin, Lady Bird Lake and Lake Walter E. Long, Austin Police Lake Patrol is the main law enforcement. On Lake Travis the Sheriff's Lake Patrol works with game wardens and LCRA. An injury crash must be reported within 30 days. The suit deadline for a lake crash is generally 2 years.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (29)
Who responds to a boat accident on Lake Travis or Lady Bird Lake?
| Water | Who responds | Local rule to know |
|---|---|---|
| Lady Bird Lake | Austin Police Lake Patrol | Only electric motors of five horsepower or less. No swimming. |
| Lake Austin | Austin Police Lake Patrol | No jet skis or similar devices on Memorial Day, Labor Day and July 4 weekends. |
| Lake Walter E. Long | Austin Police Lake Patrol | Children under 13 wear a life jacket on a vessel. |
| Lake Travis | Travis County Sheriff's Lake Patrol, Texas Game Wardens, LCRA | No swimming within 50 feet of a public boat ramp. |
For any lake, TPWD takes boating accident reports at (512) 389-4848, 24 hours. Call 911 first if anyone is hurt or in the water.
What must the boat operator do after a crash on an Austin lake?
- Stop and help anyone in danger. Leaving a crash with a death or serious injury is a felony.
- Give you their name, address and boat identification in writing.
- Report the crash within 30 days to a game warden or local police if someone needed treatment beyond first aid, someone died, or damage passed the set limit.
- A separate Coast Guard rule asks for a report in 48 hours when an injury needs more than first aid.
If the operator does not do these things, you can still call TPWD yourself. Ask for the report number.
Who pays when another boat hurts you near Austin?
Usually the operator's insurance or the owner's, and a rental or party boat company's insurance if you paid to ride. Tickets and rental papers can limit claims, but federal law bars some limits on a carrier's own negligence toward passengers.
Some boat cases fall under federal maritime law, which gives 3 years instead of Texas's 2. Whether a lake case qualifies depends on where it happened and how it connects to maritime activity. A lawyer should check, but plan around the shorter Texas deadline until then.
Nationwide, alcohol is the leading known factor in boating deaths, so ask APD Lake Patrol, or the Sheriff's Lake Patrol on Lake Travis, whether the operator was tested.
What if a City of Austin dock, ramp or boat was involved?
Send a claim letter within 45 days to the City of Austin Law Department. The charter says missing the notice excuses the city from liability. Other Texas governments need written notice within 6 months.
A city document from May 2026 shows staff proposing a 180 day deadline and no notary. Do not count on that change until you confirm it.
Where do injured boaters go for care in Austin?
The Level I trauma center is Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas. St. David's South Austin Medical Center is a Level II trauma center. Tell the doctors it was a water injury, since swallowed water or a blow to the head can show up later.
If someone died, we are sorry. The Travis County Medical Examiner investigates deaths from unnatural causes and can be reached at (512) 854-9599.
How long do you have to sue after a boat accident in Austin?
- Private owner, operator or boat company: 2 years under Texas law.
- City of Austin: a claim letter within 45 days.
- Other Texas governments: written notice within 6 months.
- Federal maritime cases, if they apply: 3 years.
- More than half at fault: no recovery in Texas.
Questions
Can I swim in Lady Bird Lake?
No. The city says it is illegal to swim, wade or go into Lady Bird Lake except to rescue someone.
Is a game warden report enough to start my claim?
No. The report is evidence, not a claim. You still need a claim letter or a lawsuit within the deadlines.
What if a propeller hurt someone?
Say so in every report. Propellers were involved in 169 U.S. incidents in the Coast Guard's 2024 numbers.
Does Lake Travis have different rules than Lady Bird Lake?
Yes. Lady Bird Lake has city rules on motors and swimming. Lake Travis is managed with LCRA rules such as the 50 foot ramp rule.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (29)
- Austin Police Department, Lake Patrol, checked 2026-11-09. “patrols the three public lakes in the City of Austin; Walter E. Long, Lady Bird, and Lake Austin.”
- Travis County Sheriff's Office, press release July 26, 2026, checked 2026-11-09. “TCSO Lake Patrol was assisted by Texas Game Wardens (TPW), Lower Colorado River Authority, Travis County Fire Rescue (ESD 1), Travis County Parks and Starflight.”
- Tex. Parks & Wild. Code 31.105, checked 2026-11-09. “Not later than the 30th day after the date of an incident to which this section applies”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Boating Accidents, checked 2026-11-09. “(512) 389-4848 (24-hour dispatch)”
- Tex. Parks & Wild. Code 31.105, checked 2026-11-09. “injury to a person that requires medical treatment beyond the provision of first aid”
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Boating Accidents, checked 2026-11-09. “Failure to follow these Stop and Render Aid requirements in an accident that results in death or serious bodily injury is a Parks and Wildlife Code felony.”
- City of Austin, File a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “You must send this letter within 45 days of the incident.”
- Austin Parks and Recreation, Lady Bird Lake, checked 2026-11-09. “Only watercraft powered by electric motors that do not exceed a capacity of five horsepower can operate on Lady Bird Lake.”
- Austin Parks and Recreation, Lady Bird Lake, checked 2026-11-09. “It is illegal for any person to swim, bathe, wade or go into the waters of Lady Bird Lake, except in efforts to rescue and recover human beings.”
- City of Austin records, Austin City Code Chapter 8-5 Waterway Access and Use, checked 2026-11-09. “A person may not use or possess a jet ski, wet bike, motorized surfboard, or similar device on Lake Austin: (1) from sunset on the Friday before Memorial Day until sunrise on the Tuesday after Memorial Day;”
- Austin Parks and Recreation, Lady Bird Lake, checked 2026-11-09. “All children under 13 years old must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket”
- Lower Colorado River Authority, Recreation and Safety, checked 2026-11-09. “LCRA regulations prohibit swimming within 50 feet of any public boat ramp on the Highland Lakes.”
- Tex. Parks & Wild. Code 31.104, checked 2026-11-09. “identification of his vessel in writing to any person injured”
- 33 CFR 173.55, checked 2026-11-09. “Within 48 hours of the occurrence if a person is injured and requires medical treatment beyond first aid, or disappears from a vessel”
- 46 U.S.C. 30527, checked 2026-11-09. “may not include in a regulation or contract a provision limiting”
- 46 U.S.C. 30106, checked 2026-11-09. “a civil action for damages for personal injury or death arising out of a maritime tort must be brought within 3 years after the cause of action arose”
- Jerome B. Grubart v. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (U.S. 1995), checked 2026-11-09. “must satisfy conditions both of location and of connection with maritime activity”
- USCG Recreational Boating Statistics 2024, checked 2026-11-09. “Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating incidents; where the primary cause was known, it was listed as the leading factor in 20% of deaths.”
- City of Austin, File a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “City of Austin Law Department - Claims P.O. Box 1546 Austin, TX 78767-1546”
- City of Austin, Staff charter recommendations with charter text (May 2026), checked 2026-11-08. “shall exonerate, excuse and exempt the city from any liability whatsoever”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 101.101, checked 2026-11-09. “not later than six months after the day that the incident giving rise to the claim occurred”
- City of Austin, Staff charter recommendations with charter text (May 2026), checked 2026-11-08. “staff proposes aligning the claim notice deadline with the 180-day deadline required under the Texas Tort Claims Act”
- Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “DELL SETON MEDICAL CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS 10/1/2028 O AUSTIN 78701”
- Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “ST DAVIDS SOUTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER 10/1/2028 O AUSTIN 78704”
- Travis County Medical Examiner, FAQ, checked 2026-11-08. “Deaths due to unnatural causes”
- Travis County Medical Examiner, FAQ, checked 2026-11-08. “You may also call the Medical Examiner's Office at (512) 854-9599 at any time with any additional questions.”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
- USCG Recreational Boating Statistics 2024, checked 2026-11-09. “There were 169 incidents in which at least one person was struck by a propeller.”