Swimming Pool Accident, Injuries & Drownings

Common swimming or pool injury cases can involve serious brain damage due to a near drowning in which the victim survives but was deprived of oxygen for too long.

Swimming pools are fun but many people are surprised to find out just how dangerous a place a pool can be. Every year, many adults and children drown or suffer serious injury in swimming pools.

Children are attracted to pools. Even though a young child cannot swim, the child may fall into the pool or even jump in as the result of mimicking what that child has seen older children or adults do.

Pool owners have a legal and moral duty to fence off the area their pool is in. Failure to adequately do so can be the basis of criminal and tort liability. Parents also have a duty to supervise their children, and their guests around their pools.

Causes of Seriours Injury or Death Around Pools

In addition to violations of fencing and gating regulations, other causes of very serious injury or death around a pool include:

  • Malfunction and overly powerful drain suctions
  • Electrical faults causing electrocution
  • Lack of or improper depth markings so that a person either unknowlingly gets in water over his or her head, or dives into water that is too shallow causing brain or spinal cord injury

Homeowner's insurance policies can often be tapped to help obtain compensation for injuries.

If you or a loved one has suffered injury in relation to any kind of pool, please contact us as we may be able to help.

For Landlords

Landlords have asked how they can protect themselves against being sued by tenants if they rent out a property with a swimming pool. The two easy answers are:

  1. The pool must be fenced with self-locking gates, and 
  2. Make sure you have insurance that covers you against being sued over the pool so that if you do get sued it's your insurance company's problem, not yours. This means that if you only own a few rental properties, get a good landlord's liability policy on each property, and, if there is a pool, be sure to discuss that with your insurance agent and see if you need a special endorsement. I will be glad to give more specific advice, tailored to your situation, during a paid appointment.