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On a warm and sunny summer afternoon, swimming pools can offer a refreshing recreational activity for both children and adults. However, pools also lead to serious injuries and sometimes even death. Thousands of children and adults are injured in or around swimming pools each year. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about ten people die from drowning every day. Many of these deaths are children 14 years old or younger. In the United States, drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury causing death.
Pool accidents and injuries can happen in a variety of different settings including, for example, home pools, hotels, recreational centers, and city or county owned pools. Swimming pool accidents can cause severe injuries such as severe brain damage, broken bones and fractures, sprains, nerve damage, concussions, organ damage, and paralysis, among other injuries.
If you or a loved one were injured in or around a swimming pool, an experienced swimming pool accident lawyer at Banafshe Law Firm, PC can help. Often swimming pool injuries occur because of negligence of the pool owner. Our personal injury law firm represents individuals who suffer from swimming pool injuries and advocate for our clients to obtain compensation for their injuries. Contact our office today to discuss your rights and options available to recover the compensation you deserve for the swimming pool injuries you or or a loved one sustained.
There are a variety of different reasons why swimming pool accidents happen. For example, sometimes there is inadequate fencing around a swimming pool as required by law. Pools are recognized as “attractive nuisances” for children meaning that children may be naturally attracted to a swimming pool to play, not always recognizing the danger associated with swimming unsupervised.
Where a pool owner fails to install adequate fencing and locked gates around a swimming pool as required by law, the result could be a child accessing the pool unsupervised and getting hurt. Accordingly, some laws require pool owners to have a privacy fence with a locked gate around the pool to protect children from the attractive nuisance of an exposed swimming pool. Pool owners who do not comply with fencing regulations could be legally responsible for a premises liability claim.
Another common accident that occurs around pools are slip and fall accidents from a wet pool deck. These falls can be serious, so it is important for pool owners and operators to monitor and maintain pool deck surfaces to keep them as dry as possible.
To keep pools clean and sanitary, it is common for pool owners to use chemicals to safely maintain the pool for swimmers. Improperly maintaining the pool with the right combination of chemicals can cause serious chemical burns. A pool owner and/or maintenance company could be legally responsible for injuries sustained from chemical burns after swimming in a pool.
Another reason injuries occur in or around pools is that there was not adequate supervision of swimmers. Public pools, and even some private pools, are required to have a trained lifeguard on duty to ensure the safety of all swimmers and to ensure that pool safety rules are followed. If a lifeguard fails to adequately perform his or her job, this could result in a negligent supervision claim against the pool owner and operator.
Sometimes injuries occur in or around pools from defective or unmaintained equipment. For example, sometimes pool slides can be dangerous if they are defective and not safely maintained. Ladders may break or may not be fastened properly to the pool wall, causing injuries. Sometimes floor tiles may be slippery or cracked causing slip, trip and fall accidents. Also, sometimes diving boards can present hazards around pools if they are broken or slippery.
Unmaintained or defective pool drains and drain outlets can also cause some serious entrapment dangers for swimmers. For example, swimmers with long hair, or swimmers wearing bracelets and necklaces, can get them caught in drain outlets. Additionally, damaged drain covers can create a safety hazard where swimmers may get their hands or feet stuck which may cause amputation of extremities or broken bones. Smaller children sometimes get their bodies caught on drains which may lead to drowning or harm to internal tissues and organs.
Drowning from a pool related accident can be devastating. Below are some shocking statistics from the CDC related to drowning in the United States:
If you or a loved one were injured in a pool accident, you should be aware that you must file a claim within a certain time frame in compliance with your state’s statute of limitations for such claim. Under California law, you have two years from the date of the pool injury to file a lawsuit against the party responsible for your injuries or you will not be able to pursue a claim against the responsible party. If you or a loved one has a pool injury claim, contact a swimming pool accident lawyer today for a free consultation. Do not wait. Time is of the essence.
Swimming pool injuries can be serious and sometimes even fatal. If you or a loved one sustained injuries from a swimming pool accident contact an experienced swimming pool accident lawyer at Banafshe Law Firm, PC today. Our attorneys can help. Contact our office today for a free legal consultation. You can reach us 24/7 by calling 800-789-8840 or by completing our online form.