Yuba City is in the Central Valley of California, where summertime temperatures in the 90s and 100s make a cooling dip in a swimming pool very appealing. Private and public pools are great places to recreate and exercise, especially during the hot summer months, and we should all have the opportunity to enjoy them in comfort and safety. Unfortunately, swimming pools are also where some inherent risks exist — deep water near alcohol, slippery surfaces adjacent to hard surfaces, electricity near wet conditions, and young children near unfamiliar environments. If these risks aren’t correctly managed, swimming pool accidents can result in severe injuries and even deaths. When a swimming pool accident happens, an experienced personal injury attorney such as our Yuba City swimming pool accident lawyers can help injury victims and their families receive appropriate compensation for their injuries.

The most serious hazard posed by swimming pools is the risk of drowning. Drowning is, unfortunately, not a rare occurrence. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other organizations, statistics for the United States show that:

• Nearly 4,000 fatal drownings occur on average in the U.S. every year.
• More than 8,000 non-fatal drownings are averaged each year.
• Drowning is the top cause of death in children under 5 years of age after birth defects.
• Drowning is the number two cause of death in children under 15 after car crashes.

While fatality is undoubtedly the worst possible outcome of drowning, even those who survive may be left with life-long disabilities, mainly due to brain damage due to lack of oxygen caused by the drowning incident.

In addition to drownings, the CDC estimates more than 100,000 injuries per year in and around pools are due to slip-and-fall incidents. Pool surfaces and surrounding deck materials can have varying slipperiness or traction depending on the materials used in their construction. Still, most everything is slippery when splashed with pool water or walking with bare, wet feet. The physical materials also tend to be very hard, so when a fall occurs, the injury victim is more likely to strike hard on unyielding surfaces, producing more severe injuries.

Among drowning incidents, it is not necessarily fatigue or inability to swim that causes a swimming pool accident. The drowning may be triggered by an outside event, such as an electrical shock or electrocution that isn’t fatal but renders the victim unable to move out of the water before drowning. Among adults, poolside play can often involve alcohol or other intoxicants, leaving them less able to swim or maneuver on slippery pool decks.

Learning to swim and ensuring our children learn to swim is the most effective way to prevent drownings from swimming pool accidents. Stop Drowning Now cites statistics estimating that drowning risks in young children can be reduced by 88% simply by taking formal swimming lessons. Numerous public organizations and private swim lesson providers across the country offer these services and search tools for locating them in our local areas.

Other straightforward ways to protect against swimming pool accidents include:

• Barriers include fences with gates that close and latch automatically to keep unattended children away from pools. (Nearly all homeowner’s insurance policies require these in some form.)
• Always have one or more adults designated to watch children playing in pools.
• Life jackets and other flotation devices for less-experienced swimmers.
• Recommending adults use alcohol only in moderation when in or around pools.
• Regularly inspecting pool systems and keeping electrically powered devices and extension cords well away from pools.

Unfortunately, not everyone takes appropriate precautions to prevent these potentially tragic events. When a severe injury or even death occurs in or near a swimming pool due to someone’s negligence, a personal injury claim can help the victim receive compensation for their injuries. This most often will result in a premises liability claim being made against the homeowner’s insurance policy of a private pool owner, general liability insurance of a commercial pool operator, or even a government entity claim for a publicly-owned pool. Sometimes, a product liability claim may also be involved where some defect in the design or manufacture of an item in or near the pool was a cause of the injury.

View this video from ABC News loaded with tips for preventing swimming pool drownings among children:

Whether enjoying summer recreation in a backyard pool or year-round exercise in an indoor pool, it’s essential to recognize the inherent risks these artificial bodies of water pose. Many simple, common-sense precautions can make their use far safer, but not all swimming pools and situations are as safe as they should be. If you or a member of your family has been seriously injured in or around a swimming pool, give us a call today at (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400 to receive free, friendly advice. See case histories of our past verdicts and settlements.

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