As the Fourth of July holiday weekend quickly approaches, West Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawyers wish you and your families a safe and enjoyable time.
As South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog has previously detailed, car accidents in West Palm Beach and boating accidents throughout South Florida will happen as millions of people will be enjoying the time off from work and the warm weather.
But other areas of concern, such as fireworks injuries as well as swimming pool and drowning incidents should be on people’s minds this weekend and for the rest of the summer.
Fireworks accidents:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2008 that more than 7,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries. That same year, seven people died in fireworks accidents.
The data also revealed that child injuries are especially common when dealing with fireworks. Leave the fireworks up to the professionals. Gather wherever county officials will be displaying large fireworks and don’t use potentially dangerous flying fireworks or sparklers that can burn up to 1,000 degrees in your own backyard.
With drought conditions as they are throughout Florida, this can not only cause dangerous brush fires, but also cause injuries to the hands, fingers and eyes. The CDC reports that nearly 60 percent of fireworks injuries happen each year to people 20 or younger.
Swimming pool accidents:
But while fireworks are typically only used during certain holidays, swimming pools are used almost year-round in Florida, and certainly in the summertime. With children out of school, they are more apt to want to use the family pool or go to the community pool to swim and play.
Swimming pool accidents in West Palm Beach always provide for heart-breaking news reports, especially because most of these are preventable. Don’t assume your child will be safe, walk away and come back to find them at the bottom of the pool. It can only take a second and you may lose a child.
According to research by the Florida Department of Health, Florida ranked third in the country in its rate of unintentional drowning deaths from 1999 to 2003. Among toddlers, Florida had the most drowning deaths in the country in that time period.
These are sad statistics, but they go to show us that swimming pool accidents and deaths are preventable. An adult should always be within reach and make sure children don’t get trapped or sucked into powerful drainage systems. And remember, near-drowning accidents can cause long-lasting medical issues, some that don’t present themselves for months or years.
While swimming can be enjoyable and refreshing in the hot Florida summer, it can also be dangerous, so just be careful. Show extra care and don’t take for granted that your child will be 100 percent safe.
The swimming accident lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC represent victims and their families in Margate, Miami, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie and Fort Lauderdale. If you or a loved one has been injured in a fireworks accident, call 1-800-561-7777 today for a free consultation to discuss your rights.