Orlando Swimming Pool Drowning & Injury
Orlando swimming pool drowning and injury at hotels, resorts and homes continue. As Orlando injury lawyers, we have seen preventable episodes of drowning, near drowning and injury locally and across the country. Sadly, hotels, resorts and home owners often fail to take simple steps that would have reduced or eliminated the risk of drowning or injury.
Every year 300 children die by drowning in a swimming pool and 2,000 children are hospitalized. Drowning is also one of the leading causes of death to children under the age of five. Many times these tragedies involve the failure to provide inexpensive safety devices. While pool fences and secure gates and locks are a must, simple warning devices can also be used to sound off if a little one unexpectedly enters the water. Ensuring that the area surrounding the swimming pool is clear can prevent prevent trip and falls into the pool.
Orlando hotels and resorts must comply with regulations and standards that mandate how a pool is designed, what safety and rescue equipment is available and what signs and warnings must be posted. While all of this appears to be common sense too many hotels and resorts try to cut corners on safety. Yet, when it involves swimming pools, the risk of injury or death from drowning demands proper safeguards.
We represented a family who attended a July 4th celebration at a major hotel chain. The hotel failed to ensure the proper safety equipment was in place. The hotel also failed to hire a lifeguard despite having large crowds, food and entertainment at their swimming pool. In all the chaos, the family thought they were still watching their child when, in fact, she had slipped into the deep end.
While no one can guarantee that swimming pool injury and accidents will not happen, it is important that those in charge do what can be done to mimimize the risk of serious injury or death. Too many times we see local news coverage reporting on another drowning. More needs to be done-the sooner the better.
