Find a boat accident lawyer in Houston: who responds, what to report and which deadline applies

Report a Texas boating accident to a game warden, local police or TPWD. You have 30 days if someone was hurt beyond first aid. On Lake Houston, call 9-1-1 and the HPD Lake Patrol. Texas gives you 2 years to sue, but a maritime case can allow 3.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (37)

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Map of the Houston area showing Lake Houston to the northeast and the Houston Ship Channel running east toward the bay
Texas boat accident reports are due within 30 days. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where do boat accidents happen around Houston, and who responds?

Houston has two very different kinds of water. Lake Houston is a 10,160-acre reservoir the City of Houston built in 1954. TPWD says its place in the metro area brings heavy recreational use. HPD's Lake Patrol Division, Texas state troopers and game wardens patrol it.

The Houston Ship Channel is a working waterway. Port Houston runs eight public facilities along its 52 miles, and the channel's vessel traffic service counted 228,974 transits in 2023, including 138,272 tug and tow trips. A fishing boat or jet ski crossing that traffic is a very different case from a pontoon crash on the lake.

For emergencies on Lake Houston, call 9-1-1. HPD's Kingwood Division Lake Patrol Unit is at (832) 394-9854.

When must a boat accident be reported in Houston?

RuleWhat it requiresWho it applies to
Texas report triggerDeath, injury beyond first aid, or damage over the set amount.The boat operator
Texas timingWithin 30 days to a game warden or officer.The boat operator
Federal timing, injury48 hours for an injury beyond first aid or a disappearance.The boat operator
Federal timing, other10 days for other reportable accidents.The boat operator
If the operator cannot fileThe owner files instead.The boat owner

Where to report: your local game warden, local police, or TPWD at 800-792-4263 or 512-389-4848, which is the 24-hour dispatch line. The operator must also give you the boat's identification in writing at the scene. Leaving after a death or serious injury is a felony.

What should you do right after a boat crash on Lake Houston?

  1. Call 9-1-1 and ask for the Lake Patrol. Say which part of the lake you are on.
  2. Get the other operator's name, address and the boat's identification in writing.
  3. Photograph both boats, the propellers, the life jackets and the weather. In the national count, 169 incidents involved someone struck by a propeller.
  4. Get a medical check. Ben Taub and Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center are Level I trauma centers.
  5. Ask the game warden or officer for the report number, then send your own report if you were the operator.

Does Texas law or federal maritime law apply to a Houston boat case?

It depends on where it happened and what the boat was doing. A boat case is maritime when it passes tests about location and a connection to maritime activity. A tug collision on the Ship Channel likely qualifies. A fishing line tangle in a cove may not.

The deadlines differ. Maritime claims have a 3-year deadline. A regular Texas claim has 2 years. If you could be in either, count from the shorter one.

  • Crew on a tug or work boat may have Jones Act rights against their employer.
  • Some contract limits on negligence in passenger contracts are barred. Tickets on seagoing vessels cannot shorten the time to sue below one year.
  • An owner can limit liability to the value of the vessel and pending freight. The owner has 6 months after a written claim to ask a court for that limit.

What if the City of Houston or Harris County is involved?

The City of Houston built Lake Houston. A claim against the city needs verified written notice within 90 days. If you miss it, the city is excused from any liability. Harris County, which operates Deussen Park near the dam, needs written notice within 180 days. Texas's general notice to a government is 6 months.

What happens if someone died in a boat accident near Houston?

We are sorry. Families can ask the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences for a completed autopsy report on weekdays. A death claim may also need a personal representative. The Harris County Clerk's probate department issues letters of administration, and Probate Court No. 2 is at 201 Caroline, Suite 680.

Questions

Can I file the boat accident report myself?

Yes. Give it to a game warden, local police or TPWD. If the operator cannot file, the owner does.

What injury counts as reportable?

Treatment beyond first aid. Property damage also counts at $2,000 or more, or a lost boat.

Is alcohol a big factor in boat deaths?

Alcohol is the leading known factor in fatal boating incidents. Nationally, 556 people died in boating accidents in 2024.

Do I have a claim if a rented boat hurt me?

You may. The rental company, the operator and the owner can each be responsible. Keep the rental paper, since it may have a time limit that federal law can restrict.

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Sources (37)

  1. 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:”
  2. 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”
  3. City of Houston, Lake Houston Lake and Boat Safety Tips, checked 2026-11-09. “HPD Kingwood Division - Lake Patrol Unit: (832) 394-9854”
  4. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.003, checked 2026-11-09. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  5. 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”
  6. City of Houston, Lake Houston Lake and Boat Safety Tips, checked 2026-11-09. “LAKE HOUSTON IS PATROLLED BY THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT'S LAKE PATROL DIVISION, TEXAS STATE TROOPERS, AS WELL AS TEXAS GAME WARDENS.”
  7. Tex. Parks & Wild. Code 31.105, checked 2026-11-09. “injury to a person that requires medical treatment beyond the provision of first aid”
  8. 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.”
  9. City of Houston Legal Department, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “duly verified, within 90 days after the same has been sustained”
  10. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Lake Houston reservoir survey, 2022, checked 2026-11-09. “Lake Houston is a 10,160-acre reservoir constructed on the San Jacinto River by the City of Houston in 1954 to provide water for municipal and industrial purposes.”
  11. Port Houston, Port Overview, checked 2026-11-09. “Port Houston owns and operates the eight public facilities along the 52-mile Houston Ship Channel”
  12. Greater Houston Port Bureau, presentation to Houston City Council committee, Nov. 12, 2024, checked 2026-11-09. “Tug/Tow 138,272 -0.8% Ships 22,899 +0.2% Miscellaneous 8,999 +16% SubTotal 170,170 +0.1% Ferries 58,804 -3.6% TOTAL 228,974”
  13. 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”
  14. 33 CFR 173.55, checked 2026-11-09. “Within 10 days of the occurrence or death if an earlier report is not required by this paragraph.”
  15. 33 CFR 173.55, checked 2026-11-09. “the owner shall submit the casualty or accident report”
  16. Tex. Parks & Wild. Code 31.104, checked 2026-11-09. “identification of his vessel in writing to any person injured”
  17. USCG Recreational Boating Statistics 2024, checked 2026-11-09. “There were 169 incidents in which at least one person was struck by a propeller.”
  18. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “HARRIS HEALTH BEN TAUB HOSPITAL 4/1/2028 Q HOUSTON 77030”
  19. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “MEMORIAL HERMANN - TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER 5/1/2028 Q HOUSTON 77030”
  20. 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”
  21. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  22. 46 U.S.C. 30104, checked 2026-11-09. “A seaman injured in the course of employment or, if the seaman dies from the injury, the personal representative of the seaman may elect to bring a civil action at law, with the right of trial by jury, against the employer.”
  23. 46 U.S.C. 30527, checked 2026-11-09. “may not include in a regulation or contract a provision limiting”
  24. 46 U.S.C. 30526, checked 2026-11-09. “to less than one year after the date of the injury or death”
  25. 46 U.S.C. 30523, checked 2026-11-09. “shall not exceed the value of the vessel and pending freight”
  26. 46 U.S.C. 30529, checked 2026-11-09. “The action must be brought within 6 months after a claimant gives the owner written notice of a claim.”
  27. City of Houston Legal Department, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “shall exonerate, excuse and exempt the city from any liability whatsoever”
  28. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Lake Houston Access, checked 2026-11-09. “One county park, Deussen Park, located near the dam, offers boat and bank fishing access.”
  29. Harris County, Claim Filing Procedures, checked 2026-11-08. “Written notice of your claim must be mailed or delivered in person within 180 days of the occurrence to: Harris County Commissioners Court 1001 Preston, Room 610 Houston, Texas 77002”
  30. 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”
  31. Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, Autopsy Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “Individuals may obtain a copy of a completed autopsy report from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday”
  32. Harris County Clerk, Probate Courts, checked 2026-11-08. “letters of testamentary, administration and guardianship”
  33. Harris County Probate Court No. 2, Heirship and Administration Checklist, checked 2026-11-08. “201 Caroline, Suite 680”
  34. 33 CFR 173.55, checked 2026-11-09. “A person is injured and requires medical treatment beyond first aid”
  35. 33 CFR 173.55, checked 2026-11-09. “Damage to vessels and other property totals $2,000 or more or there is a complete loss of any vessel”
  36. 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.”
  37. U.S. Coast Guard, checked 2026-11-09. “Fatalities fell 1.4% to 556 from 564 in 2023”

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