Water skiing, tubing, and boogie boarding whether they take place on the Sandy or Clackamas River or even the Columbia River are all regulated by the Oregon water ski law.

The Oregon water ski law also applies to all towed devices including knee boards, hydrofoils and tubes. The law further makes it mandatory for an observer on the boat while towing, use of a red or international skier down flag, and water sport is also to be carried out from sunrise to sunset.

Anyone who has ever been on a boat well knows that serious injuries may arise and because of this it is best to have a review of the boating facts as soon as possible following the crash.

To show safe and legal boating in your water ski injury claim the best evidence would be to show that the boat operator did not take the Oregon mandatory boater education program.

Oregon law requires 10 plus horse powered boats to only be operated by a boater who have taken the state mandated boater education course.

With any water ski injury claim it would be damaging proof to show that the operator didn’t even take the course.

Before you collect a settlement on your Oregon water ski injury you must prove fault by showing that the observer (who is a requirement on the boat) failed in their legal responsibilities.

The cardinal rule in any water ski event in Oregon is there must be an observer on board. Water ski rules require that the observer must be ready to rescue the skier and raise the down flags when the skier is down.

The observer’s main responsibility is to keep the operator of the boat aware of what the skier is signaling, the location of the skier, location of the in water skier, and lastly location of other boats behind the skier.

Water boat injuries can be serious and the boating rules will always come into play prior to settlement so it is best to consult with an injury lawyer who is familiar with the legal obligations of the observer on your water ski injury case.