What if My Child was Injured at a Public Swimming Pool?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), accidental drowning is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of one and four. As a result, nearly 300 children die in drowning accidents annually and an additional 2,000 are sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. You would think that these harrowing statistics would be enough to make swimming pool owners and/or operators more diligent in their maintenance and safety efforts, but the unfortunate truth is that preventable accidents continue to happen at an alarming rate. For this reason, the Portland personal injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Timothy Grabe would like to ensure that you understand your rights in the event that you or your child is negligently injured in a publicswimming pool accident.
While all property owners are legally responsible for maintaining a reasonably safe environment, swimming pool operators—of private, public and semi-public pools—are also expected to abide by a number of state and federal safety regulations. For example, federal law now requires all public pool and spa owners to improve outdated draining systems by installing a protective covering. Since numerous child-related drowning accidents have been attributed to the forceful suction of a pool’s recirculation drain, lawmakers have attempted to prevent future incidents by requiring operators to install a cover that would cut the suction. If your child was to be injured under these circumstances, now that this regulation has been put into place, this violation could be used to prove that the owner wasnegligent in upholding their duty of care.
The same would apply if the operator of the public swimming pool had failed to:
- Provide a sufficient number of lifeguards
- Post warning signs in the vicinity of the pool
- Conduct routine maintenance
- Remedy any hazardous conditions
- Clean the pool (to the point that it is murky)
- Follow state & federal safety regulations
If your child was injured under any of the aforementioned circumstances, you may be entitled to compensation. For this reason, we encourage you to discuss your case with aPortland injury attorney from our firm as soon as possible. Since all civil claims are subject to a statute of limitations, you may not have much time left to bring suit against the negligent party. When you place your trust in the Law Offices of Timothy Grabe, however, you can rest easier knowing that we will do whatever it takes to seek justice on your behalf. All you have to do is call our office today at 971-645-7176 for a free initial consultation or submit a complimentarycase evaluation form online.
