Boat accident in Dallas: who patrols Lake Ray Hubbard and White Rock, and who must report
Dallas Police patrol Lake Ray Hubbard and enforce city law up to the shoreline. A boat operator must report a death, an injury beyond first aid or set property damage to a game warden or police within 30 days. Texas generally gives you 2 years to sue. If the city is involved, written notice is due in six months.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (27)
Who patrols Lake Ray Hubbard when a boat crash happens?
Dallas Police do. A 2019 city memo says the department has patrolled Lake Ray Hubbard since 1972, and that officers enforce all laws and city ordinances on the lake up to the shoreline. It said the officers assigned there were certified Marine Safety Enforcement Officers.
Texas game wardens also take boating reports. Call Texas Parks and Wildlife at (800) 792-4263, or its 24-hour line at (512) 389-4848.
Remember where you launched. Robertson Park has two boat ramps, and more ramps and marinas ring the lake. The launch point tells you which city office or private marina may have records.
What reports must be filed after a boat accident in Dallas?
| Who | What they must do | By when |
|---|---|---|
| Boat operator | Report a death, an injury beyond first aid, or set property damage to a game warden, local police or TPWD. | Within 30 days. |
| Boat operator | Give name, address and vessel identification in writing to any injured person. | At the scene |
| You | Get the report number, the other boat's registration number and names of witnesses. | The same day |
| Dallas Police or a game warden | Take the report on a Dallas lake. | When called |
A report does not prove who was at fault. It does lock in names, boat numbers and the time, which are hard to find a month later.
What are the boating rules on White Rock Lake and Bachman Lake?
Dallas City Code sets them. It is an offense to run a boat motor over 10.5 horsepower on either lake. Surfboards, jet skis and water skis are not allowed. Swimming is unlawful there too.
If the other boater broke one of these rules, tell the police and write it down. It does not decide your case, but it matters when Texas divides blame.
What safety rules might the other boater have broken?
- Life jackets: children under 13 must wear one on recreational vessels under 26 feet while underway.
- Wake: Texas lists causing a hazardous wake or wash as unlawful.
- Alcohol: the Coast Guard names it the leading known factor in boating deaths.
- Propellers: the Coast Guard counted 169 propeller incidents in 2024.
Nationally, the Coast Guard counted 556 boating deaths and 2,170 injuries in 2024.
How long do I have to sue after a boat accident near Dallas?
Usually 2 years in Texas. If a City of Dallas boat, dock or lake property was involved, you must send written notice within six months. It has to say when, where and how you were hurt, how badly, and the amount of damages. Claims go to the Office of Risk Management.
Some boat cases fall under federal maritime law, which gives 3 years. Whether a case is maritime depends on the water and the activity. Do not count on the longer date. Use the shorter one.
Where do boat crash victims go for care in Dallas?
Parkland, Baylor University Medical Center and Methodist Dallas all hold Level I trauma status. If someone went under the water, even briefly, tell the doctors.
Questions
Who do I call right after a boat crash on a Dallas lake?
Call 911 first. Then report to a game warden, Dallas Police or Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Can a passenger sue the boat's operator?
Yes, if the operator's carelessness caused the harm. Texas bars recovery if you are more than 50 percent at fault, so your own choices matter.
What if the other boat left the scene?
The operator must give name, address and vessel identification in writing to an injured person. Tell the police what the boat looked like and any number you saw.
Does my child need a life jacket on a Dallas lake?
Yes, under 13 on recreational vessels under 26 feet while underway.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (27)
- City of Dallas memo, Dallas Police Department Boat Donation (April 19, 2019), checked 2026-11-09. “The Dallas Police Department has provided continuous police protection of Lake Ray Hubbard since 1972.”
- City of Dallas memo, Dallas Police Department Boat Donation (April 19, 2019), checked 2026-11-09. “Dallas Police enforce all laws and city ordinances in on the lake and up to the shoreline.”
- Tex. Parks & Wild. Code 31.105, checked 2026-11-09. “injury to a person that requires medical treatment beyond the provision of first aid”
- 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”
- Dallas City Charter, Chapter XXIII, Section 1, checked 2026-11-08. “within six months after the injury was received”
- City of Dallas memo, Dallas Police Department Boat Donation (April 19, 2019), checked 2026-11-09. “All officers currently at Lake Ray Hubbard are certified Marine Safety Enforcement Officers.”
- Dallas City Code Sec. 32-40, checked 2026-11-09. “operates a boat by means of a motor having a commercial-power rating in excess of 10.5 H.P. on the waters of White Rock or Bachman Lakes”
- Dallas City Code Sec. 32-40, checked 2026-11-09. “takes a surfboard, jet ski, water skis, or other similar device on the waters of White Rock or Bachman Lakes”
- Dallas City Code Sec. 32-39, checked 2026-11-09. “It shall be unlawful for any person to swim or bathe in the waters of White Rock and Bachman Lakes.”
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Life Jackets, checked 2026-11-09. “all children under 13 years old must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket”
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Boating Accidents, checked 2026-11-09. “To report a boating accident, contact your local game warden, local law enforcement agency, or call TPWD at:”
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Access to Lake Ray Hubbard, checked 2026-11-09. “Robertson Park is a large day-use area with excellent bank fishing access and two boat ramps”
- Tex. Parks & Wild. Code 31.104, checked 2026-11-09. “identification of his vessel in writing to any person injured”
- 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”
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Operation of Your Boat, checked 2026-11-09. “Operate in a manner to cause a hazardous wake or wash.”
- 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.”
- USCG Recreational Boating Statistics 2024, checked 2026-11-09. “There were 169 incidents in which at least one person was struck by a propeller.”
- U.S. Coast Guard, checked 2026-11-09. “Fatalities fell 1.4% to 556 from 564 in 2023”
- U.S. Coast Guard, checked 2026-11-09. “Nonfatal injuries increased 2.1% from 2,126 to 2,170.”
- Dallas City Charter, Chapter XXIII, Section 1, checked 2026-11-08. “when, where, and how the exact injury occurred; (2) the full extent of the injury; and (3) the amount of damages claimed or asserted”
- Dallas City Code, Sec. 2-81, checked 2026-11-08. “shall file the claim with the office of risk management”
- 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”
- Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “PARKLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 7/1/2028 E DALLAS 75235”
- Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER 4/1/2028 E DALLAS 75246”
- Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “METHODIST DALLAS MEDICAL CENTER 12/1/2027 E DALLAS 75203”