Articles Posted in Swimming Pool Accidents

Swimming pool owners must be compliant with local and state regulations to prevent injuries and insulate against liability. In the event that an owner is in violation of regulations at the time of an accident, the property owner can be held liable for damages. In a recent move to improve pool safety, the Miami-Dade County Land Use and Development Committee approved a measure to prohibit high-voltage lights and circuits in private pools. The regulatory shift is in response to the death of a 7-year-old who was electrocuted by a swimming pool light.

Pool owners are always responsible for ensuring that the premises is safe and that pools are properly maintained. In the event of an accident or injury in a private or public swimming pool, victims and their loved ones should consult with an experienced attorney who can investigate the case and pursue just compensation. Our Miami swimming pool accident attorneys are committed to raising awareness to prevent future injuries. We are also dedicated to representing victims in the event of an accident to maximize compensation for serious injury or wrongful death.
Continue reading →

Though parents are aware of obvious dangers at a pool—shallow diving, slip and fall, or drowning—one of the most overlooked potential hazards at a pool is electrocution. In several recent cases, pools have become electrically charged, leaving children unable to get out and parents unable to rescue them without getting shocked themselves. Fox News has posted a surveillance video of an apartment complex pool the moment that a young girl grabs a handrail and gets shocked. She froze in the water and was unable to get out. The video also shows a man going to rescue her who also gets shocked as he is trying to pull her out of the water. Several other children in the pool were shocked during the three-minute ordeal.

According to investigators, the pool was charged by unconnected ground wires to the pool’s pump house. Since the accident, the pool has been drained and closed. Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers are experienced in representing individuals who have been impacted by an accidental injury or death. We are committed to investigating the cause of the accident and in identifying responsible parties. By holding individuals and entities accountable and raising awareness, our objective is to prevent future accidents and injuries.
Continue reading →

Year-round sunshine is one of the many reasons people flock to Florida. It’s also one of the reasons so many residents have pools, and why Florida has the highest unintentional drowning rate in the country for children between the ages of 1 and 14.

It’s for this reason that legislators passed the Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, codified in Florida Statutes 515.21-37. This measure spells out specific duties of a residential pool owner in terms of certain safety features and barriers.

Those who fail to implement these measures not only commit a misdemeanor crime, their negligence could result in serious injury or death, particularly to a child. In these instances, our Broward swimming pool accident lawyers know that civil litigation is an appropriate recourse for victims’ families.
Continue reading →

When we’re out there basking in the Florida sun, splashing around in the pool, the last thing on many minds is the thought of a tragic accident. Pools are so common in the Sunshine State, that we forget the dangers that accompany them. As a matter of fact, there are more than 1 million pools in the state of Florida. And with all those pools come some serious risks for accidents.

Our drowning accident lawyers understand that most all residents and visitors will be spending much of their summer poolside. With that said, it’s important we highlight swimming pool safety basics.

In the U.S., roughly 10 people die each and every day in drowning accidents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the country.

Unfortunately, it’s our youngest swimmers that face the highest risks. About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. It’s important that we take the proper safety precautions to help ensure the safety of all swimmers.

Consider the following safety tips to make your swimming pool safer for all:

-Take lessons. According to the latest research, swimming lessons can reduce your risk of drowning — especially for our young swimmers.

-Guard the pool. Install a fence around the entire pool to keep children out. This should be a four-sided surrounding the pool. Equip it with child locks. This can help to reduce a child’s risk of drowning by more than 80 percent.

-Make sure everyone’s supervised. Whenever children are in the pool, parents should be watching. And watching means more than being in the general vicinity. You should actually watch children in the pool. It only takes a matter of seconds for disaster to strike.

-Consider taking CPR. This lifesaving skill can mean the difference between life and death. YOU can help to save lives while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

-Use the Buddy System. Always swim with a buddy. Select swimming sites that have lifeguards when possible.

-Keep pool toys and floatation devices away from the pool when it’s not in use. You don’t want to lure the curious minds of children anywhere near a pool.

-Never drink while swimming or while supervising children in the pool.

-Always keep a phone nearby. You want a cell phone or a house phone within reach at all times so that you can call for help when needed.

-Remember that floatation devices are not safety devices. Always have the proper safety rescue materials nearby should disaster strike.

-Check the weather. Look at weather conditions (current an approaching) before setting out for a day at the pool. Thunderstorms, strong winds and lightning strikes are extremely dangerous to swimmers.
Continue reading →

Parents need to keep an eye on their children, especially in the state of Florida where we have so many swimming pools! According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), there were close to 150 children under the age of 15 who drowned in a spa or a pool during the traditional summer season, or the time from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Another 170 young kids required emergency attention for near-death accidents in spas and pools.

“These figures are a strong indication that child drownings are a serious public health problem,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum.

Our Wilton Manors injury lawyers understand that pools in the state of Florida don’t typically ever shut down, meaning that we have year-round risks for these kinds of accidents. It’s important that parents, guardians and other adults keep an eye on their children while they’re playing in or around pools and that we also make sure that we take the proper safety precautions to secure the pool area when we’re not around.

According to media figures, there were close to 55 drownings during the summer that occurred when children left the supervision of an adult. More than 30 of these drownings happened even though there were others at the pool.

It’s the toddlers that we have to worry the most about when it comes to drowning accidents. Every year, at least 100 of the more than 135 kids who drown are under the age of 5. As a matter of fact, drowning is the number one cause of unintentional death among children who are between the ages of 1- and 4-years-old.

Not every one of these accidents is reported by the media, especially in the state of Florida when these accidents are so common. It takes some time for officials with the CPSC to receive reports of all of the drownings that occur across the country. Each May, officials with the CPSC release the stats for drownings and near-drownings. According to the CPSC’s most recent data, there were an average of more than 240 child drownings in pools or spas every year from the 2007 through 2009. The drownings that happen during the summer months account for close to 65 percent of the number of drownings that happen every year.

For 2012, Florida was ranked as one of the top states for child pool or spa drownings. Many of these accidents could have been prevented if parents were on top of their pool-safety game!

There’s an average of close to 400 of these fatal accidents that occur each and every year to kids who are under the age of 15-years-old. In addition to these fatalities, there is another 5,200 of these kids who wind up in an emergency room because of a near-drowning.
Continue reading →

According to local authorities, a 2-year-old boy is dead after he fell into a swimming pool at a birthday party. The accident happened in Polk County. Medical examiners at a Tampa hospital report that the cause of death was drowning.

Reportedly, he was at a birthday party with his parents and wasn’t found until 15 minutes after he fell into the pool, according to The Republican.

Our West Palm Beach injury lawyers understand that there are more than 10 million swimming pools across the country. This includes nearly 400,000 public swimming pools. With the year round sunshine here in the state of Florida, residential swimming pools are common. Unfortunately, access to these pools increases one’s chance for a potentially fatal accident.

As a matter of fact, drowning is the second most common cause of death for children under the age of 15-years-old in the U.S. Experts estimate that about 3 children are killed every day in these kinds of accidents. When these young ones are fortunate enough to survive, oftentimes the repercussions can be severe, life-altering brain damages and injuries.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that children between the ages of 1- and 4-years-old are most likely to die in a drowning accident. It only takes a couple of minutes for these young children to get themselves into trouble. Most of the children who are killed in drowning accidents are out of adults’ sight for less than 5 minutes.

According to federal statistics, another 4 million require medical attention. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there are more than 5,000 drowning accidents each and every year. About 80 percent of those who are treated for the accidents are younger than 5-years-old and most of these incidents occur in swimming pools.

Drowning Statistics:

-Nine people down in the U.S. every day.

-Males are more likely to drown in a swimming pool than females are.

-Most drownings among young children happen in residential swimming pools.

-Surrounding your swimming pool with fencing has been proven to reduce the risks of drowning accidents by up to 90 percent.

-Portable and/or inflatable pools account for more than 10 percent of pool drownings for children under the age of 5.

-Long-term injuries resulting from near-drowning accidents include permanent loss of basic functioning, learning disabilities and memory problems.

-Nearly 20 percent of fatal child drowning accidents happen in a public pool where there is a certified lifeguard on duty.

-Nearly 80 percent of those who drowned at home were already missing for at 5 minutes before they were discovered. About 70 percent weren’t even expected to be in or near the pool when it happened.
Continue reading →

Residents in the state of Florida are able to dip into their pool just about every day of the year, but with kids out of school those pools will be used a lot more often. The summer season, when kids are out on summer break, is a time when we see an increase in the number of fatal swimming pool accidents in Palm Beach County and elsewhere across the state.

During this time of the year, parents are asked to keep a close eye on their young ones and on their home’s pool.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are nearly 4,000 people who are killed in drowning-related accidents across the U.S. each year. Not only are a majority of these victims young children under the age of 15-years-old, but a good majority of them happen in the state of Florida, too. As a matter of fact, Florida leads the nation in drowning accidents.

Our Palm Beach swimming pool accident attorneys understand that about 20 percent of drowning victims are young children. For each child who is killed in a swimming pool-related drowning accident, another five are sent to an emergency room. This time of the year is the most important time to review safety precautions for the pool and to review the layers of protection around your pool to keep kids out when you’re not around. Here are some important tips from Palm Beach County officials.

Recommended Layers of Protection for Your Pool:

-A fence that’s at least 4 feet tall.

-A gate alarm to notify homeowners when the gate is being tampered with.

-Ropes and float lines to let swimmers know where the short end and the deep and are.

-A life ring and a shepherd’s hook to help to rescue those who may be having trouble in the pool.

-Emergency contact information posted near your pool.

-A telephone nearby.

-Anti-entrapment drain covers and fittings.

-Clear pool water to be able to better identify those in trouble.

How to Stay Safe in the Water:

-Make sure children are always supervised.

-Always swim with a friend. Use the buddy system.

-Become certified in CPR.

-Enroll your family into a professional swim class.

-Make sure there are safety flotation devices nearby. Floating toys do not count.

-Never drink alcohol and play around pools.

Children most at risk are those between the ages of 1- and 4-years-old. In 2009, 30 percent of this age group who was killed by unintentional injuries were killed in drowning accidents. These accidents most commonly happened in swimming pool. Still, drowning continues to be the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death behind motor vehicle crashes.
Continue reading →

The kickoff weekend for the summer season is getting close — Memorial Day! During this time, residents and visitors from around the country will be kicking off their long weekend working on their tan in a swimming pool under the Florida sun.

Unfortunately, with this long holiday weekend, we’re expected a number of news reports of boys and girls who needlessly drowned because of negligence, their own lack of swimming skills or because of inadequate protection, faulty equipment and lack of supervision. It happens every year, an increase in the number of these kinds of accidents over the Memorial Day weekend. Swimming pool accidents in Broward County and elsewhere are alarmingly common during this time of year. Luckily, there are precautionary steps that can be taken to help to minimize the risks of these kinds of accidents.

It’s especially important to keep an eye on our young swimmers. As a matter of fact, kids ages 1- to 4-years-old face the highest risks for drowning. These accidents are the number one cause of death for this young age group in the state of Florida. Did you know that Broward County leads the state of Florida in the number of drowning deaths each year? Picture this. Enough children drown in the state of Florida each year to fill the seats of roughly four classrooms.

Our Fort Lauderdale accident attorneys understand that there’s one link that can help to save children from drowning-related accidents — parents! Parents and guardians are asked to take all of the necessary safety precautions to minimize these risks. It may be a weekend for fun, but it’s also a time to step up and to help protect our young ones. Review the safety tips listed below to help make your Memorial Day injury free.

“We hope parents and caregivers will take heed of these very important safety tips and suggestions,” says Sheryl Woods, President/CEO of the Broward County YMCA.

Swimming Pool Safety Tips:

-Make sure that children are ALWAYS supervised. Never leave them alone in a pool, not even for a second.

-Consider installing a four-sided fence around your swimming pool to keep wandering children away. These fences should be at least 4 feet tall and should be difficult to climb, meaning it shouldn’t be a chain-link fence.

-Keep all doors around a pool locked, including the swimming pool fence.

-Consider enrolling your child into a swim class.

-Parents, guardians and caregivers should be certified in CPR.

Of the children who died in drowning-related accidents in Broward County in the last 3 years:

-Nearly 85 percent were males.

-Nearly 60 percent were African-American.

-More than 80 percent were familiar with the swimming pool where the accident happened and died in their own backyard or in their community.

-In more than 95 percent of the cases, an adult was present when the accident happened.
Continue reading →