Aquatics Safety Expert Discusses Towable Water Tube Accident

Case Overview

This case involves injury sustained by riders on a towable water tube in Oregon. At the time of the incident in question, the plaintiff was riding on the tube, which was tied to the back of the boat, along with his wife. As the two were holding on to the handles at the side of the tube, the tube began to shift wildly, and the plaintiff’s wife lost balance. The shift in weight distribution created instability and the tube began to flip. During the process, the plaintiff’s wife impacted him at high speed. As a result of the impact, both the plaintiff and his wife sustained serious injuries, including concussions, broken bones, and facial cuts.

Questions to the Engineering expert and their responses

Please discuss your background in product safety engineering. Do you have specific experience designing tubes?

I have served as an aquatics expert witness for a number of cases, including personal injury and drowning cases.

Based on the brief case description, are there any safeguards that could have been in place to avoid the accident?

There are numerous safeguards that could have prevented this injury occurring: for instance, was there a recommended max speed for the boat in the user's manual? Were the riders of similar weight and size and was this also cautioned against if not the case? Topics such as these should have been listed in the tube's documentation. It is not impossible that the tube in this case was not being used in accordance with these recommendations, however considering the seriousness of the injuries suffered there may well have been a defect in the design of the tube.

About the expert

This highly qualified aquatics expert earned his BS in Civil Engineering at the University of Houston and is a registered professional engineer in Texas. He is a member of several professional organizations including the American Institute of Architects, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Landscape Architects, National Recreation and Park Association, National Society of Professional Engineers, Texas Public Pool Council, and Texas Society of Professional Engineers. This expert is highly active in the engineering and aquatics field and is an an annual speaker at several professional trade shows and conferences. This expert has reviewed a 6-8 cases and has deposition and trial experience.

E-013114

Specialties:

Engineering