With the swimming season fast approaching, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission is reminding parents and guardians to exercise caution so that tragic drowning accidents are avoided. Already, the CPSC says there have been 38 near-drowning and 37 drowning incidents in the US this year. The government agency, along with the Y and American Red Cross, are launching a Pool Safety campaign this year to reduce the amount of child drowning accidents in spas and swimming pools.
Considering that about 300 kids under the age of 5 drown annually and thousands of others are injured in near drowning accidents, employing the proper safety precautions will hopefully save lives. To help prevent Washington DC drowning accidents:
• Makes sure that there is a fence around the pool so that kids can’t get in when there isn’t an adult around
• Don’t allow children to swim unsupervised
• Make sure there is someone at the pool that knows how to perform CPR in the event of an emergency
A pool or spa owner can be held liable for Washington DC personal injury to a child if he/she did not make sure that the pool or hot tub is safe for swimmers. For example, if someone drowns at a public pool that should have (but didn’t) have a lifeguard on duty or because the wasn’t properly cleared of leaves and other debris so that it would be easy to spot someone in trouble at the bottom of the pool, the victim or his/her family may have grounds for a lawsuit.
Common causes of pool or spa drownings:
• No fence or pool cover
• Inadequate warning signs
• Lack of rescue equipment in the pool area
• Drain entrapment (Could be grounds for a DC products liability case)
• Inadequate pool maintenance
• No lifeguards
• Defective pool or spa equipment
Our Washington DC injury lawyers represent families throughout the DC area and Maryland.
Pool & Spa Safety Educational Video Transcript, Pool Safety.gov
75 Drownings and Near-Drownings in 15 Weeks, CPSC, April 21, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Unintentional Drownings, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Drowning Prevention Fact Sheet, Safe Kids USA
More Blog Posts:
Six-Year-Old Girl Dies in Washington DC Drowning Accident at Turkey Thicket Pool, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, July 12, 2010
In Maryland, Accidental Drowning Of Anne Arundel County 5-Year Old Renews Calls For Greater Pool Safety, Maryland Accident Law Blog, October 13, 2006
Family of Baltimore County Woman that Drowned in Apartment Complex Pool Files $100 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit, Maryland Accident Law Blog, August 15, 2008
Contact our DC personal injury law firm today and ask for your free consultation.