Pool Drownings

Accident Attorney Palm Beach Gardens Florida

Drowning is the second leading cause of death among children under the age of 14. Only auto accidents kill more children in the United States. Each year, an average of 7,000 kids are injured in pools and recreational tubs. In many pool accidents and drowning accidents, negligent land owners can be held liable for injuries.

Often these tragic near-drowning and drowning accidents occur in private or public swimming pools. When a standard of safety is not properly upheld and a child can get to the water, they often are attracted to neighborhood, hotel and apartment complex pools or hot tubs.

Because young children have disproportionately heavy heads and undeveloped muscles, they can find it difficult to raise their heads out of water they fall into head first – even if their feet are still on dry land. Toddlers and babies can drown in even very small amounts of water or suffer permanent brain damage quickly if their faces are submerged.

Florida law requires most private land owners with swimming pools in their back yards to fence the area surrounding the pool and to have special childproof gates. Florida laws may also require backyard and exposed or open Jacuzzi, Whirlpool and other types of hot tubs, or water features be fenced in, or otherwise protected against unsupervised access by children. Depending upon your local county or city ordinances, backyard pools may require five foot or higher fences protected with gates that have building and safety code certified safety latches.

If you have lost a loved one in a drowning accident, it is crucial that you contact an experienced Palm Beach Gardens lawyer to assist you with the legal aspects of the case. Some drownings occur as the result of a boating accident or at the beach. Such tragedies are naturally emotionally overwhelming and the loss that the family suffers is unimaginable. However, there are legal aspects to many drowning cases that should be addressed by Personal Injury of Florida’s skilled lawyers.