Drowning is the top cause of unintentional death for children who are four-years-old or younger. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 363 children under 15 died annually because of drowning in a pool or spa between 2014 and 2016. Roughly 75% of those deaths were children who were younger than five-years-old. The CPSC says that June is the month when drownings or other submersion events are most likely to happen.
Furthermore, such events are most likely to happen in residential settings. There are steps that those who own pools can do to keep their children safe such as taking down ladders when the pool is not in use. Children should also be taught how to swim to increase their chances of survival while in the water. However, even kids who do know how to swim should be supervised by an adult, and that adult will ideally know how to perform CPR if necessary.
If a person is hurt while in or around a pool, the property owner is generally responsible for paying any damages a victim incurs. In the event that a child is hurt, the property owner may be liable even if certain actions were taken to prevent an accident from happening. This is because minors are not necessarily expected to understand the consequences of their actions.
The parents of a child who is hurt or killed because of a drowning incident may pursue a lawsuit in an attempt to collect a financial award. Doing so may help to pay a child's medical bills as well as make up for lost earnings or other long-term costs related to an accident. Adults who are victims of an accident on another person's property may benefit from speaking with an attorney who is familiar with product liability cases.