Southern California may just be the perfect place to own a swimming pool as part of your home. Even if you don’t own one, the consistent perfect weather and frequent summer heatwaves make it almost impossible to stay away from bodies of water altogether.
Swimming pools are popular additions to suburban homes and provide years of enjoyment when used safely. However, swimming pools also pose a significant danger to swimmers when they are not used safely or maintained properly. Improper care and lack of safety precautions are the most frequent causes of swimming pool accidents.
When it comes to swimming pools, there are many potential dangers. Swimmers can slip or fall on slippery decking surrounding the pool when there are improper warning signs or negligent supervision, such as lack of a lifeguard. Lifeguards at a public pool are employed to ensure pool safety, prevent any swimming accident, and prevent situations that may result in a premises liability lawsuit.
Divers can suffer catastrophic head injuries by hitting the bottom of the pool if allowed to jump headfirst into shallow areas. A minor can suffer a swimming pool drowning accident as a result of other injuries or mismarked pool depths.
Injuries from swimming pool accidents can be severe. Slips can result in broken or fractured bones, torn ligaments, dislocated hips, and sprains. Unsupervised diving may cause injuries to the brain and spinal cord that result in paraplegia, quadriplegia, paralysis, and even wrongful death. Injuries from swimming pool accidents potentially require extensive and ongoing medical treatment.
Consulting with a premises liability lawyer at Wilshire Law Firm can remove the weight that comes with any swimming-related incident that occurs at a public pool.
Common Injuries That Can Occur at a Pool
If the swimming pool owner, property owner, or custodian is found negligent in a pool accident, injury victims can receive compensation for their medical expenses and suffering. Neglectful or inappropriate acts by facility employees, lifeguards, and any property owner at a public pool may contribute to the victim’s injury or swimming pool drowning, many of whom are children who deserve a higher standard of care than older people.
In Los Angeles, Wilshire Law Firm provides swimming pool accident attorneys who will pursue full compensation for any medical expenses that you incur from a swimming pool injury that results in injuries such as:
- Head trauma
- Brain injury
- Lung damage due to water inhalation
- Quadriplegia
- Broken or fractured bones
- Paraplegia
- Spinal cord damage
Any catastrophic injury requires high-cost professional care and services, which can quickly overwhelm the victim’s financial resources. Emergency medical services delivered poolside by licensed paramedics, and medical transportation services are only the beginning of what could be years of medical expenses.
Long-term nursing care and physical rehabilitation programs are other expensive, yet necessary costs often associated with swimming pool accidents and any wrongful death lawsuit. The personal injury attorneys at Wilshire Law Firm are available to accident victims in the Los Angeles area.
What Type of Compensation Can Be Recovered?
In the immediate aftermath of an accident, a Los Angeles swimming pool accident lawyer can ensure complete protection of your rights through professional legal representation in the courts and negotiations with insurance companies.
Any negligent parties that caused or were found liable for the accident are responsible for the expenses attributed to a swimming pool accident injury. Our firm employs experienced swimming pool accident injury attorneys who will pursue your full compensation by the liable parties for all costs incurred.
Here are some examples of costs that can be reimbursed through a compensation settlement:
- Expenses from medical bills
- Treatment plans
- Legal services
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
To arrive at a fair and equitable settlement agreement, we engage in aggressive negotiations with the liable party and their insurance provider.
Types of Swimming Pool Accidents
When most people visit a pool to go for a swim, they rarely dwell on the dangers and risks associated. Swimming pools and recreation centers are designed and built for just that – recreational use.
To suffer or witness an accident at a swimming pool can quickly turn a fun day into a horror movie. Being acquainted with the most common kinds of accidents that may occur at a swimming pool can help in communicating your accident injury claim with a personal injury attorney in Los Angeles.
The most common types of swimming pool accidents are:
- Subversion and swimming pool drowning accident
- Diving accident
- Slip and fall accidents
- Unsafe product accidents
- Design or building violations
- Drain entrapment accident
- Overcrowding accidents
If this list does not cover your pool accident, call a Los Angeles swimming pool accident attorney at Wilshire Law Firm today with any questions about your personal injury case. We are available at all hours to answer your inquiries and provide a free consultation.
Swimming Pool Accident Statistics You Should Know
The definition of drowning is to die through submersion in and inhalation of water. Every day, an average of 10 people drown in non-boating related accidents.
Here are more drowning accident statistics in the United States:
- Between 2005 and 2014, there was an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually.
- An additional 332 people died from drowning in boating-related accidents
- About 1 in 5 people who drown are 14 years old or younger.
- More than 50% of drowning victims treated in emergency departments (EDs) require hospitalization or further care.
- These nonfatal drowning victim injuries can cause severe brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning.
- Children, males, and those with frequent access to bodies of water are at most at risk for drowning.
Today, drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.
Swimming Pool Lawsuits in California
Attorneys at Wilshire Law Firm aim to ease your pain and suffering during the recovery period. We are fully prepared to handle all negotiations with the liable parties and their insurance providers on your behalf.
Your primary focus can be a swift and healthy recovery from your injuries, while our expert personal injury attorneys manage the legalities of your compensation. If a lack of private health insurance threatens your ability to receive appropriate treatment for injuries, contact our Los Angeles swimming pool accident law firm to arrange immediate care.
Our network of physicians and healthcare providers can extend every required medical service with no out-of-pocket costs to you, regardless of the cost or duration of care.
Our certified legal counsel is available to you and can simplify the complex legal processes involved so that you fully understand your rights and position. Meetings with our personal injury attorneys can take place in your home or temporary medical facility to eliminate the need for your travel if that is more convenient.
Questions about the policies, legalities, and procedures that influence a settlement negotiation will be addressed in full to guarantee your understanding of the process as it progresses.
Eyewitness accounts, testimonies, and expert opinions are all used to build a legal case in support of your claim against the liable parties. This is in the possibility that a favorable settlement cannot be obtained through negotiations.
Eyewitness accounts can attest to the dangerous conditions of a swimming area or strengthen your version of how the accident took place. Professional testimonials shed light on the extent and possible cost of injuries associated with the accident, to ensure full compensation for all current and future expenses is secured.
Legal representation and consultation with our attorneys are covered by a contingent less basis, requiring no reimbursement to our firm for fees and services unless and until we settle in your favor.
Wilshire Law Firm has earned a reputation for aggressive representation of our clients while maintaining honest and ethical operating practices. Our attorneys fight for compensation with our client’s best interest in mind at all times.
Product Liability & Swimming Pool Accident Lawsuits at Wilshire Law Firm
Sometimes, product liability may play a large role in a pool accident lawsuit. Product liability is the legal liability, or fault, that a manufacturer or trader incurs for producing or selling a faulty product.
There are many parts to the pool that may cause an accident or injury to a person.
For example:
- Defective drain cover
- Diving board
- Sump pumps
- Flotation devices
- Slides
Accident or injury as a result of any defective or faulty items mentioned above may result in a product liability claim. In California, we have what is called strict product liability, which means that companies can be held legally at fault for injuries caused by defective products.
The strict product liability clause does not necessarily mean that a manufacturer will be held at fault every single time, or only at fault, in a product liability claim.
It may be the case that other parties are liable, as well, such as:
- Product or pool designer
- Product or pool distributor
- Person or company performed the product installation
- The property owner of the location or premises where the accident took place/Premises liability
To discuss your product liability claim, contact a Los Angeles swimming pool accident lawyer at Wilshire Law Firm today. We have experience in litigating and resolving pool accident claims that involve product or premises liability laws. We help you fight for every dollar you may be entitled to from all liable parties involved.
What do Wilshire Law Firm Attorneys Want You to Know About Swimming Pool Accident Claims?
The most critical components of a pool accident claim are:
- Determining liability. In the case where the pool accident injury victim was at fault for the accident that resulted in his or her injuries, then they may be found liable for acting out of negligence.
Otherwise, a Los Angeles swimming pool accident attorney can assist you in finding any liable parties associated with your accident. This includes the location or company where the pool accident occurred (also known as a premises liability case), the pool designer, or any pool component manufacturer (product liability).
We are well-versed in premises liability law, and our priority is getting any swimming pool accident victims the justice and compensation they may deserve.
- Determining the cause of the accident. This can be anything from the slick pool area to low pool maintenance, or even defective pool drains. Our qualified personal injury attorneys use scene reconstructionist and other experts to determine the cause or causes of the accident accurately.
- Determining the connection of the injury to the accident. It may be the case that there is no physical evidence of a connection between the pool, defect, or negligence, and any sustained injuries.
That’s why it is crucial to seek medical care for any injuries immediately after a pool accident. Medical records, along with photographic evidence, eye witness accounts, and damaged equipment, can help to support your pool accident claim.
What Should I Do After a Swimming Pool Accident?
In the event of a pool accident, there are essential steps you should take:
- Remain calm. Panicking in the event of an accident that results in an injury can cause stress to those around you. It can also impair your judgment and thinking.
- Call 911 and request both an ambulance and the police. In the event where another party may be liable for injuries, it is helpful to request a detailed written police report for your records. The police report will help support your personal injury claim.
- Don’t admit fault or liability at the scene of the incident, even if you believe you are responsible for any injuries incurred.
- Acquire contact information from anyone who witnessed the accident. Witness statements may assist in supporting and proving your pool accident injury claim in court.
- Gather photographic evidence of the injuries and any faulty equipment.
- Contact a Los Angeles swimming pool accident lawyer at Wilshire Law Firm. We know what to do to get you the compensation for your damages. We use proven strategies to win our personal injury cases while treating our clients with the attention and care they deserve.
We take the stress out of fighting for your rights so that you can concentrate on healing and recovering from your injuries.
If you or someone you know was a victim of a pool accident, please contact Wilshire Law Firm at (800) 501-3011 or fill out our online contact form today.
