A fisherman is suing a speedboat driver after he crashed into his vessel, forcing him and his passengers to dive into the river.
A GoPro camera captured the dramatic moment Marlin Lee Larsen's 31-foot motorboat plowed into Bryan Maess' 20-foot fishing boat near the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon, and the Pacific Ocean on August 12.
Footage shows Maess, who had been fishing with passengers Christopher McMahon and Roni Durham, frantically waving his arms and shouting 'Hey!' to try and get the attention of the boat bearing down on them.
This is the dramatic moment a fisherman and his passengers were forced to jump overboard to escape an approaching ship
Seconds later, Marlin Lee Larsen's 31-foot motorboat plowed into Bryan Maess' 20-foot fishing boat near the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon
A picture uploaded to Facebook with the caption: 'Well we at least got a piece of the other guy's boat. Part of his propeller. All those slice are from the propeller'
The wrecked boat is seen in this picture which is at the center of a massive $372,500 lawsuit
'Oh my God,' screamed one of his passengers as the realization sunk in that the boat wasn't going to stop.
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ShareAll three jumped into the icy river with seconds to spare. The next moment, Larsen's boat crashed into the fishing vessel, causing serious damage.
Maess, 47, an off-duty Hermiston police officer and part time salmon fisherman, says he suffered injuries to his ankle, leg and arm during the incident, while McMahon, 46, and Durham, 57, also suffered injuries.
Bryan Maess had been fishing with friends Christopher McMahon and Roni Durham when they spotted the boat coming towards them
Footage shows them frantically waving his arms and shouting 'Hey!' to try and get the attention of the boat bearing down on them
All three jumped into the icy river with seconds to spare, suffering injuries in the process
The next moment, Larsen's boat crashed into the fishing vessel, causing serious damage
The motorboat plowed right on through the fishing boat and past the GoPro camera before its driver knew what was happening
Larsen, 75, who uses a motorized scooter on land, told investigators he crashed because he was unable to see the other boat from his sitting position.
But one of Maess' passengers claims he saw Larsen using his cell phone while driving the boat.
Larsen insisted that he'd only used phone on the morning of the crash, telling Oregon Live such claims were 'fake news.'
Police say neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the crash but cited Larsen for reckless operation, three counts of reckless endangerment and three counts of fourth-degree assault.
Larsen has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Maess, 47, an off-duty Hermiston police officer (left), and passengers Roni Durham (right) and Christopher McMahon were forced to leap to safety
The wreckage left behind after Larsen's motorboat plowed into the fishing vessel, crushing it
Maess' boat had to be towed back to shore after the collision in August
Now Maess has filed a $372,500 lawsuit against Larsen.
In it, he claims he suffered vision problems and is still wearing a knee brace six months later.
McMahon and Durham, who suffered cuts and hypothermia, have hired attorneys and plan to file their own lawsuits.
Durham also reportedly suffered psychological trauma and has not been able to go back out on a boat since.
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