Tennessee Injury Law Center
We were on a boat on Old Hickory Lake outside of Nashville, Tennessee. A young man driving a personal watercraft (a jet ski) was jumping our wake real close to the back of the boat. This happened several times. Then the PWC was racing along side of us, and then cut to his right to go close to the back of our boat and hit our wake. At the same time, our boat driver slowed down to try to get the PWC operator to leave us alone. The PWC hit the boat, knocking me off my feet and into the side of the boat, breaking my arm. Is the PWC operator responsible for my injuries?
It is against the law to jump a wake within 100 feet of the back of a boat or to otherwise operate too closely to another boat. So, if the facts shake out as you remember, you will have a claim against the operator for negligently operating the PWC.
Under Tennessee law, any lawsuit you want to file against the PWC operator must be filed within one year of the date of the incident. Failure to file suit on time will result in a loss of your rights.