Avoid a Pool Accident and Personal Injury Claim This Summer
Summer offers perfect weather for poolside entertainment. This is especially true here in the Greater McAllen metro area where temperatures can soar into the 100s.
There’s nothing quite like spending a blazing afternoon cooling off in your very own pool or with friends at the local water park. But it is absolutely vital for parents and adults to recognize the risks and hazards associated with pools.
PoolSafely.gov recorded that between 2011-2013 there were over 4,900 pool and spa-related injuries and drownings among children 1-14 years old. Also, more than 50% of drowning victims treated in emergency departments required hospitalization or transfer for further care.
Diving injuries also pose a significant risk to children and adults alike. In more than half of all diving accidents, alcohol use was involved. Additionally, 57.2% of all swimming pool diving accidents occur in water four feet deep or shallower according to “Review of Spinal Cord Injury Statistics Related to Diving and Diving Board Use” from the American Institutes for Research.
The attorneys at Millin & Millin understand that sometimes accidents happen, but the best way to avoid them is to recognize when and how they can occur. Being informed about the most frequent pool accidents that cause serious injury can help you to prevent them before it is too late.
Some of the most common pool accidents include:
- Drowning
Sadly, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger, with drowning the number one cause of unintentional death in this age group. Even in non-fatal drownings, injuries can cause severe brain damage that can lead to long-term mental health issues. When around pools, parents should never leave a child unsupervised and should provide them adequate safety equipment. Awareness is the first step in safety.
- Slip and fall accidents.
Pool and spa areas pose a high risk of slip and fall incidents, understandably, because the water creates slippery conditions. When coupled with rock-solid cement, slip and fall accidents can lead to some truly serious personal injuries. But a few simple safety precautions can help to lessen the likelihood of a slip and fall accident at a private or public pool including:
- Not allowing any running or roughhousing to occur on the slippery surfaces.
- Placing guardrails in dangerous areas.
- Ensuring that cement or concrete slabs around the pools have solid traction.
- Keeping pathways in and around the pool free from tripping hazards.
- Keeping the area properly lit at night.
- Diving and spinal cord injuries.
Among males, diving ranks fourth in leading causes of spinal cord injuries and fifth for females.
Every year thousands of adolescents are taken to the emergency room because of diving-related injuries, with the majority being caused by headfirst dives. This is especially alarming as roughly 80% of these incidents occur in pools that were 4-feet or shallower – clearly preventable accidents.
While many of these incidents occur in pools, it’s also important to consider that diving injuries can also take place in lakes, rivers, or any other body of water that is used for recreational swimming.
Supervision is the key element to ensuring that a diving injury does not occur to your child or loved one. It is also recommended diving is first attempted with the swimmer’s feet facing downward so that their proximity to the bottom of the pool can be gauged.
- Entrapment and product injuries.
Beyond horse playing and dangerous diving attempts, other potential sources of personal injury include product injuries and circulation entrapment.
Entrapment can occur when a swimmer is trapped by the suction of a drain in a pool or spa. If a swimmer’s clothing or jewelry is accidentally caught into the drainage system of the pool, the suction can cause accidental drowning or other serious injuries.
Some ill-designed products can also increase the risk of drowning and cause cases of entrapment as well. Pool cleaning equipment and other products may wrap themselves around the appendages of a swimmer and keep them submerged causing injury.
In these situations, the best preventative measures include:
- Supervising swimmers in the pool – especially children.
- Disallowing horseplay or rough play around the pool.
- Maintaining pool products and safety standards.
The attorneys at Millin & Millin want to remind you to have a safe holiday season.
Summer is the season of rest and relaxation for families all across the nation. This often includes time spent at the pool. But safety measures should always be taken into account to ensure that everyone has a safe and fun time.
But accidents happen.
If you are having to file a personal injury insurance claim, it’s likely due to the fact that you or a loved one suffered a terrible accident. Having to deal with the bad faith tactics of an insurance company is the last thing you need on your plate during this time.
Depend on the responsiveness of the Millin & Millin legal team to get your rightful compensation from deceitful insurers.
Contact us at (956) 631-5600 to get help from the premier bad faith insurance lawyers of the McAllen metro and Rio Grande Valley.