Lovely Pool Injuries

Pools are great places for adults and children alike to cool off, get some exercise, and have some fun. Unfortunately, however, they can still be quite dangerous if the premises are not kept safe or are not well-maintained. If the area is not supervised, if adequate safety equipment is not readily available, and if pool drains are not securely covered, then swimmers at put at risk of suffering serious injury.

Slip and Fall Injuries

Slip and fall injuries are quite common in slippery pool areas, where water often coats the poolside. If people are allowed to run around the pool, or if the ground material is broken or inherently slippery, then pool users are at a high risk of falling and hurting themselves. It is the responsibility of the pool owner to post warnings around the area and hire supervision so that people do not run and suffer injury.

Drowning

Every year, around 3,500 people in the United States die from drowning accidents and thousands more suffer non-fatal drowning injuries. Of these fatalities, over 25% of them were children ages 14 years and younger. In fact, drowning acts as the second leading cause of unintentional death among members of this age group.

There are numerous risk factors associated with drowning:

· No barriers in place between shallow and deep water

· Inadequate swimmer supervision

· Swimmer's use of alcohol

· Seizure disorders

· Rough play in the pool area

While some of these are not under the control of the pool owner, ensuring the presence of safety measures and supervision is the owner's responsibility. With these two elements in place, many drowning injuries can be prevented.

Pool Drain Injuries

Pool drain injuries are some of the most devastating forms of harm that swimmers can suffer. While pool drains may not appear to be dangerous features, they can actually create very strong and powerful suction forces.  If a victim's hair or extremities become pulled against uncovered drains, then he or she may become entrapped underwater and can drown.

Pool drains have also been known to disembowel or eviscerate children who become sucked against them. These injuries are permanent, messy, and will disable a child for life. In order to safeguard swimmers against such terrible harm, public pool drains are required by law to be protected by government-approved covers.