Swimming Pool Lawsuit & News Blog

Diving & Swimming Pool Accidents

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:29:06 -0400

Diving and swimming pool accidents are among some of the most frustrating cases, because someone has been injured doing something that they thought was simple fun. Diving injuries can cause life-long paralysis, or even death, and most of them are caused by simple carelessness on the part of the pool owners. If you or a family member has been injured due to diving or swimming pool accidents, seeking legal counsel can help make sure that you receive a settlement, which will pay for your medical bills. At Anapol Schwartz's website, you can find information regarding pool safety, and what to do if you or a loved one has been injured due to a lack of it.

Each year, thousands of adults and children are injured while diving into pools. Thousands more are injured from slip and fall accidents around a pool area. Falling into water when a person does not expect it and hitting head on the bottom of the pool are two main causes of pool accident injuries. Pool safety should be a pool owner - and a swimmer's - number one concern, but often it is not.

There are several things that might lead to diving or swimming pool accidents. First of all, when there is poor lighting in a pool area or in a place where people dive, it is often hard to see where the bottom of the pool is, or where the side of the pool is. Often, this is where many swimming pool accidents and diving injuries occur. Many swimming pool accidents also occur in lake settings, where someone has a partially submerged dock.

Another situation that a good legal team, such as the one at Anapol Schwartz, will look at is whether or not a pool should have had a diving board in the first place. If a pool is not deep enough or big enough for a diving board, but one is installed anyway, a person might not know that it is unsafe for them to dive, and might be injured.

Inadequate warnings also lead to thousands of people to swimming pool accidents each year. If "no diving" signs are not posted in the right place, or if the pool depth is not marked adequately, a person might choose to dive into the water, where as if he would have had all of the information about the pool, the depth, and the no diving areas, he might not have chosen to do so. Therefore, warnings should be posted and easy to read, and if they are not, diving injuries might happen.

The bottom line is that there are state and federal regulations requiring pools to have safety as their first priority. Diving boards should be properly maintained, warnings should be posted, and pools should have gates and fences so they cannot be accessed when they are not open. Failure to follow these regulations leads to thousands of injuries and thousands of deaths each year in the United States. If you or a loved one has had a similar experience, seek legal help immediately.

Pool Safety: How Safe is Your Pool? Do You Need a Pennsylvania Lawyer?

Wed, 1 Aug 2007 11:15:43 -0400

Did you know that a child can drown in only 2-inches of water?

About 350 children under age 5 drown in swimming pools each year. Drowning is the second leading cause of death for this age group after motor vehicle incidents. Another 2,600 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year for near-drowning incidents. Most of these pool safety accidents happen in backyard swimming pools.

Drowning happens quickly and silently, often without any splashing or screaming.

The key to preventing these tragedies is to have layers of protection. This includes placing barriers around your pool to prevent access, using pool alarms, closely supervising your child and being prepared in case of an emergency. Here are some tips to prevent drowning:

The pool owner is responsible for what happens in his or her pool. The pool owner has a responsibility to provide a safe environment for children and adults alike and to be pro-active in preventing accidents.
Has your child suffered a pool safety accident? Please consider consulting a Pennsylvania lawyer with a track record in pool safety personal injury cases.

Do not accept the responsibility of pool ownership unless you are aware of the risks and willing to deal with them. At the most basic level, you, and all able-bodied adults in your family should successfully complete a CPR course. Everyone in your household should learn to swim and be knowledgeable in pool safety.

Don't rely on posting signs such as to protect you against a lawsuit. Anyone who is injured in your pool, even if they are trespassing, may have the legal right to file a claim against you for any damages resulting from injuries received while in your pool.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/pool_safety.html

Child Injured in Public Pool: Call a Pennsylvania Lawyer

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:23:09 -0400

Bad pool safety design and defective pool equipment can be deadly. Who is to blame? Have you or a loved one been injured at a public or private swimming pool? You may be eligible for a pool safety lawsuit. Contact the PA law firm Anapol Schwartz to find out what your legal options are. We can help. Or call toll-free 1-866-735-2792.

Pool Safety: Gruesome Pool Accident Maims Child for Life

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:11:16 -0400

Because of a powerful open suction drain in a wading pool, a 6-year-old girl will have to receive nutrition through an intravenous tube for the rest of her life.

The suction caused a 2-inch tear in her rectum and pulled out much of her intestines. Doctors had to remove the part of remaining intestines.
Although some details of the accident are still fuzzy, it is known that Abigail was able to free herself from the drain and get out of the pool on her own without calling for help. As a result, the extent of her injuries wasn't immediately evident to the people near her.

Apparently the swimming pool's drain tube was improperly covered. The pool manager said he didn't think there was a problem.

The scenario of the injury fits a pattern that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned about in a 2005 report, Guidelines for Entrapment Hazards: Making Pools and Spas Safer. According to the report, if a child sits on an open drain, the suction, which can reach several hundred pounds per square inch, can rupture the rectum and eviscerate the child in a matter of seconds. Do you need a Pennsylvania lawyer to handle a personal injury settlement?

There have been three such incidents since 1990. The most recent was two years ago when a 3-year-old was disemboweled by a hot tub drain.

None of those accidents was fatal, although in the same time span 13 people, most of them children, drowned after being caught in underwater drains.

Abigail's injury comes as Congress is considering new pool-safety regulations. Instead of having one main drain, both public and private pools would be required to have multiple drains with reduced suction.
Owners of existing pools would be able to install safety release sensors that will turn off the suction if it the system is blocked.

Several states have passed pool safety laws after children drowned or were disemboweled by drain suction. North Carolina, for instance, requires pools to have dual drains to diffuse the force of the suction and prevent children from being trapped.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1285137.html

Pool Safety: Boy Dies at Amusement Park Water Ride

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 11:13:40 -0400

A 4-year-old boy drowned and died at Great America amusement park in Santa Clara. The boy's mother blames the park for negligence saying that there were not enough lifeguards on duty in the Great Barrier Reef wave pool.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal-OSHA) and the Santa Clara police have initiated investigations. Great America is doing an internal investigation as well.

State Sen. Elaine Alquist, (D-Santa Clara), said Monday she would introduce legislation to increase the safety at wave pools by requiring that young swimmers must wear life vests and cannot be left unattended. Her bill also would set a mandatory ratio of lifeguards to swimmers.

Since the drowning, Great America began requiring all youngsters shorter than 48-inches-tall and inexperienced swimmers to wear life jackets when going into either the wave pool or tubing. Parents should also err on the side of caution by staying with their children when they wade into a pool that tries to simulate a touch of the thrill -- and the power -- of an ocean wave.

Lack of pool safety is not limited to California. Public and private pools and parks in Pennsylvania have been the scene of many unsafe pool accidents. If your child or someone you know as suffered because of lack of pool safety, please contact the Pennsylvania law firm Anapol Schwartz for a free consultation to find out what your legal options are.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/07/17/EDG6QQ501O1.DTL

Pool Safety Facts

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 11:18:55 -0400

Drowning can occur in a split second to people of all ages and swimming ability. Spinal injuries continue to happen from improper diving. Slip and fall cases could end up in court and the use of hazardous materials could require a visit to the ER.

Statistics show that drowning and swimming accidents are best prevented by adult supervision, public awareness programs including water safety training for young children, and not drinking alcohol while swimming, diving, or soaking. Statistically, most accidents involving drowning or severe injury occur to children under 5 years of age who are unsupervised, cannot swim, and fall into a pool or pool cover with water on top. Toddlers at the age of 2 or 3 are most likely to wander off from a parent's supervision. Barriers such as fences or back doors are often left unlocked. Drowning is not accompanied by loud noise or splashing sounds. To prevent child drowning, there is never a substitute for parental supervision.

The second largest number of accidental injuries occurs to teenagers, primarily males. Often the boy has been drinking alcohol and has dove into the pool in an area too shallow for diving, or from a location not intended for diving. Alcohol and spas are also a potentially lethal combination; the hot water and the alcohol combine to cause individuals to fall asleep and drown in only three feet of water.

Other hazards exist from standing water on top of solid pool covers. Small children and animals can drown in as little as a few inches of water. Entrapment by the suction of a single main drain on long hair or small arms and legs has been the cause of drowning in the past. New standards require double main drains or a safety switch to prevent this.

Has a pool safety accident compromised your child's life? You may be eligible for a settlement which would certainly help with your medical bills. Contact the Pennsylvania law firm Anapol Schwartz to see how they can help you.

http://www.poolcenter.com/safety.htm

Lack of Pool Safety Puts Toddler on Life Support

Sun, 8 Jul 2007 11:21:00 -0400

Every year young children drown or have serious diminished quality-of-life pool accidents. Most, if not all, could be avoided if parents or guardians followed a few rules:

Adult supervision is a must. Make that responsible adult supervision where the adult or guardian never leaves the child alone for even 30 seconds.

Put up barriers like fences and gates with locks and keep locked at all times. Instruct other family members to do the same.

Everyone should know how to swim - mom, dad, and all the children, even young children can learn to tread water. Young children should always be wearing life saving vests or jackets even if they are just playing near the pool. Keeping a cell phone nearby is a must.

A 3-year-old boy is on life support after falling into the family pool. He was left alone for just a few moments when he fell into the pool. What were they thinking? They weren't thinking - that is the problem.

In another case, an 18-month old baby managed to climb into a raised pool and was found floating on top. The mother gave CPR and the baby lived for eight more years but was severely handicapped due to lack of oxygen to the brain.

The sad part about a child drowning is that the pool safety accident could have been preventable.

http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6610531

Toddler Drowns in Apartment Pool: Who is at Fault?

Sat, 7 Jul 2007 14:25:03 -0400

This is a sad and inconsolable situation. Who is at fault? Did the apartment do enough to protect your child from harm's way? Find out if you qualify for a pool safety lawsuit. Contact the Pennsylvania law firmof Anapol Schwartz for a free legal consultation or call toll-free 1-866-735-2792.