Lake patrols say they’re cracking down on intoxication on the lake.  In fact so far this year, they’ve written twice the number of tickets for public intoxication than they have in previous years.

So far this year, eight people have been arrested for boating while intoxicated.

An 11-year-old boy who was severely injured by a drunk jet skier is sharing some advice he’s hoping will save lives.

Dustin Higdon was water skiing on Lake Travis on Memorial Day 2002 when he was hit by a jet skier. 

“Two jet skis came out of the cove in front of us,” said Higdon, who was five-years-old at the time.  “I looked left and I looked right and then I had a blackout.  I didn’t see anything.  I remember just waking up in the hospital, just laying there (and wondering) ‘Why am I here?’”

Dustin needed 21-stitches for a gash in his head and both of his arms were broken.  It took him five months to recover.

“I pretty much couldn’t do anything because I had two broken arms,” said Dustin.  “I could barely feed myself.  I was able to watch T.V., which isn’t too bad because I’m a kid.”

The jet skier who hit Dustin was later convicted of boating while intoxicated and injury to a child.  He was sentenced to five years in prison.

Dustin is now an award winning wrestler and gymnast.  He has gotten back in the water since his accident.  But now he and his parents are leery about boaters who get too close, not to mention those who’ve been drinking.

“If somebody’s skiing or doing anything else on a boat, they need to stay back even further,” said Dustin’s father, Mike Higdon.

“They need to watch where they’re going and what they drink because it could result in people (going to) jail, or people hurt, or even dead,” said Dustin.

The man who hit Dustin remains in prison.