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Slip & Fall Accidents at the Swimming Pool

Slip & Fall Accidents at the Swimming Pool

July 20, 2018
By Bary Gassman

Hazardous conditions around the swimming pool often cause slip and fall accidents that result in serious injuries and death. Taking safety precautions can help reduce the risk. When a person is injured in a swimming pool accident on someone else’s property, the landowner or business proprietor may be liable.

Staying Safe Around the Pool

Uneven walking surfaces, deck materials with no slip resistance, pools of standing water, spills of food and beverages, defective pool equipment, and unsecured pool covers can cause sudden slip and fall accidents without warning. Falling on hard concrete or tile surfaces around a swimming pool can cause serious injuries that range from fractures and broken bones to severe head and brain trauma. Elderly adults and small children are particularly vulnerable to swimming pool accidents that may cause long-term or permanent injuries and disabilities.

Although slip and falls around the pool may be impossible to prevent, taking safety precautions will help to reduce poolside injuries.

  • Wearing rubber sole shoes with traction
  • Walking slowly and never running around pool areas
  • Repairing cracked, broken, or uneven deck surfaces
  • Avoiding diving boards with slippery materials
  • Diving only in the deep end of the pool
  • Learning CPR in case of an emergency

When swimming in a backyard pool, it’s essential that small children have adult supervision at all times. Children should wear flotation devices while in the water. It only takes a few minutes to sustain serious injuries that may last a lifetime. When swimming in a public pool at a hotel, park, or community center, a qualified lifeguard should be on duty.

Homeowners and property owners are required to keep pool areas safe for swimmers. Installing security fences and gates, handrails in dangerous areas, warning signs for tripping hazards, and safe flotation devices can help to prevent slip and fall swimming pool accidents and injuries.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional, wrongful death in the U.S. Over 4,900 people received emergency medical treatment for swimming pool injuries in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Between 2005 and 2014, there were 10 deaths every day caused by swimming pool drownings, and thousands of more pool-related injuries each year. Approximately 76 percent of swimming pool drowning victims are children younger than five years old, and 47 percent of injuries and deaths occur in private backyard pools.

Call Injury Lawyer Bary Gassman
Right Away at 312-279-2779

Or contact Gassman Legal online to find out more about obtaining
financial compensation for your injuries and losses.