5 Common Causes of Swimming Pool Accidents

Swimming pools are ubiquitous throughout most of California, and for good reason. The state has year-round sunny weather and moderate temperatures that lend themselves to all sorts of outdoor activities. Whether it’s a community pool or a private pool within a family home, you’re never too far away from a body of water to enjoy in the Golden State.

Unfortunately, swimming pools also involve many conditions that can lead to accidents. If you’re wondering what some of the more common causes of swimming pool accidents are, you’ve come to the right place. This blog post will cover five of the most prevalent.

Drowning

Without a doubt, drowning is one of the most common causes of swimming pool accidents, especially among children. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4. CDC data also indicates that there are around 8,000 emergency room visits for nonfatal drowning incidents and 4,000 overall fatalities from drowning each year.

Many, if not most, drowning accidents are preventable. Some things you can do to help reduce the risk of an incident include:

  • Take a swimming lesson or water safety course
  • Ensure your pool is fully enclosed by a fence
  • Consider whether any medications you are taking could impact your ability to swim
  • Learn how to correctly perform CPR
  • Do not attempt to hold your breath as long as you can underwater

This list is far from exhaustive, but taking these measures can help to ensure you stay safe in your swimming pool.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Slip, trip, and fall accidents also frequently occur at swimming pools. This type of accident usually occurs because of a slippery surface. However, they can also occur because of conditions such as:

  • Poor lighting conditions
  • Obstacles on walkways
  • Improper footwear
  • Intoxication
  • Lack of appropriate signage

Taking one’s time when walking near a swimming pool can go a long way to protect against this type of accident.

Lack of Supervision

A significant number of swimming pool accidents are caused by a lack of supervision. At the minimum, any public pool should have a lifeguard on staff to help protect against accidents. This supervision might also simply be a parent keeping watch over their home swimming pool.

This cause generally applies to children, but it can apply to older persons as well. Many people do not know how to swim at all or do not know how to swim correctly, so it can be beneficial to supervise them even if they wouldn’t normally require such measures.

Electrocution

Swimming pools involve many wet surfaces. Water inevitably spreads around the areas surrounding the pool as a result of people climbing in and out as well. There are also many potential sources of electricity in and around pools, so electrocution is far from out of the question.

The best way to protect yourself against this type of accident is to make sure you keep any personal electronics that aren’t waterproof far out of reach when you are visiting a swimming pool. It is also critical that you ensure your children can’t easily access such objects.

Drain Entrapment

This potential cause of a swimming pool accident takes place when a part of the swimmer’s body becomes attached to the drain at the bottom of the pool due to excessive draining force. A person’s limb, hair, body, or piece of jewelry all have the possibility of leading to this type of accident.

Children are the most vulnerable to drain entrapment because they might not have the strength necessary to break free from the drain. This possible cause is especially dangerous in conjunction with the potential to drown in a swimming pool as well.

An Attorney Can Help You Pursue Compensation After a Swimming Pool Accident

Swimming pool accidents can be terrifying, and these bodies of water have numerous qualities that make them prone to such events. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to help prevent these accidents and keep your children safe.

However, sometimes these accidents occur nonetheless. While many accidents are not anyone’s fault, there are situations where a person’s negligence (or carelessness) was the culprit. In those situations, the injured party might have a claim for compensation against the at-fault party.

If this has happened to you, reach out to a qualified personal injury attorney for legal help.

Call Now Button