Philadelphia Swimming Pool Drowning Lawyers
Swimming Pool, Drowning, and Diving Accidents
Almost every year in America, hundreds of children under the age of five drown in swimming pools and spas, and thousands more go to hospital emergency rooms due to non-fatal yet catastrophic immersion injuries. Often, when there is a swimming pool or drowning accident, it is likely followed by permanent disabilities, including brain damage and loss of cognitive functioning.
The experienced Pennsylvania drowning lawyers of The Beasley Reiff Law Group are all too familiar with the tragic consequences of drowning and other water-related injuries that are so easily preventable. Last year, over 60,000 people in the United States required emergency room treatment for injuries sustained in swimming pools or on swimming pool slides, as well as to be treated for diving board injuries. A person can drown in less than 2 inches of water and sustain brain damage in submersion for a mere few minutes. During the summer season, there are approximately 10 water-related deaths per day related to drowning. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1 in 4 fatal drowning victims are children aged 14 and younger. For every child who drowns, another four receive medical treatment for non-fatal submersion and brain injuries. Non-fatal drownings and submersion in a swimming pool often cause brain damage that results in long term disability, including memory problems, learning disabilities, and any permanent loss of basic functioning. The CDC has determined that major risk factors for swimming pools accident and/or drowning are lack of barriers and supervision. Almost all children who drown in pools were last seen in the home and had been out of sight for less than five minutes and were in the care of one or both parents at the time. With adult or adolescent deaths, the experienced Beasley Reiff legal team has noted an increased ratio of alcohol use. Alcohol use during summer influences balance, coordination, and judgment, and its effects are often heightened by sun exposure and heat.
On December 19, 2008, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act became effective. This law requires installation of anti-entrapment and drain covers and other systems as outlined in the Act. The Pool and Spa Safety Act was enacted by Congress and was signed into law by President George Bush on December 19, 2007, and was designed to prevent the tragic and hidden hazard of drain entrapments in pools and spas. Under this law, all public pools and spas must have an ASME/ANSI A112.19-8-2007 compliant drain cover installed and have a second anti-entrapment system installed when there is only one single main drain.
The lawyers of The Beasley Reiff Law Group have successfully litigated cases involving swimming pool and hot tub or spa drain entrapment of children which have caused disembowelment and drowning. Unfortunately, a recent poll of swimming pool owners and operators throughout the United States has indicated that many of them have no idea what the Safety Act is and close to 30 percent have indicated that they are not compliant. Our swimming pool accident attorneys are extraordinarily concerned that many pool operators continue to place profitability over safety and claim that they cannot afford to repair a defective drain or pool. The cost of a repair for a new and improved drain ranges from $30 for small drains to approximately $1,000 for large drains at theme parks, kiddie pools, or hotels. There are many excellent resources available explaining the law and how to safeguard against swimming pool, drowning, and diving injuries. These websites include but are not limited to www.safekids.org, www.nrpa.org, and www.youtube.com/poolsafety.
As consumer advocates for unsafe products in Philadelphia and the safety of consumers, the Pennsylvania swimming pool drowning accident lawyers of The Beasley Reiff Law Group offer the following non-inclusive steps for any parent or individual to take with regard to swimming pool safety:
- Always be on the lookout for children in or around the pool area.
- Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always supervise your child when they are swimming.
- Teach children basic water safety tips.
- Avoid entrapment by keeping children away from all pool drains, pipes, and other openings.
- Have a phone close by at all times when you or your family is using a pool or spa.
- If you child is missing, look for them in the pool or spa first.
- Share pool safety instructions with all family, friends, and neighbors.
- Learn how to swim and teach your children to swim.
- Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults and update regularly.
- Understand the basics of lifesaving so that you can assist in a pool emergency.
- Install a 4-foot fence around the perimeter of the pool and spa and use self-closing and self-latching gates.
- If your house serves a fourth side of a fence around a pool, install a pool alarm and use it at all times.
- Make sure your pool or any spa use has drain covers.
- Have lifesaving equipment such as life rings or floats available for use.
- Make sure all water is clean and not cloudy.
- If a child or adult has long hair, advise them to wear a bathing cap or take precautions so as to avoid being sucked into underwater intakes or drains.
Our experienced Philadelphia fatal drowning accident lawyers have investigated and witnessed numerous factors concerning all too many unfortunate accidental drownings due to defective drains and pump systems and have also handled catastrophic injuries involving the loss of limbs, injuries to bowel, and other organs as a result of defective swimming pool design, defective pumps, defective or non-operational drains without proper safety features in place. Swimming pools and hot tubs are all too often the sites of wrongful deaths and drownings to otherwise innocent victims. Our skilled swimming pools and drowning accident lawyers have also received record breaking success securing hundreds of settlement, awards, or verdicts in excess of $1 million dollars for premise liability and product liability, all of which contribute to our expertise handling swimming pool and hot tub catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims.
Our swimming pool accident lawyers are consulted by counsel throughout Pennsylvania and the United States each year concerning the death and drowning of children and adults in swimming pools; whether they occur at camps, water parks, amusement parks, community pools, municipal pools, or in home pools. The accomplished swimming pool and drowning lawyers of The Beasley Reiff Law Group have over 90 years of collective legal experience and have been awarded in excess of $2 billion dollars on behalf of catastrophically injured victims and their families. For a free, no obligation consultation contact one of our experienced swimming pool accident lawyers toll free at 1-800-588-0130 or online at www.beasleyreifflawgroup.com.
