-year-old Steven Spurlock has died in a Florida swimming pool accident at an unlicensed day care center. Spurlock was one of seven children at the Kiddie Heaven.
Investigators say that Spurlock, who had exited the pool with the other kids, apparently managed to get back into the water. He was unconscious when he was pulled out and he had to be placed on life support. Spurlock was later declared brain dead.
According to a report just issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, kids belonging to the 4 and under age group make up over 75% of all spa and pool submersion deaths and 78% of all spa and pool submersion injuries in this country. Child drowning is still the leading cause of accident fatalities for children in the 1 to 4 age group, and also minorities.
If you believe that your child’s pool drowning death was caused by another party’s negligence, please contact our swimming pool accident lawyers at The Gilbert Law Group® today.
Based on data from the CPSC’s Submersion Report, which examined spa and pool-related drownings between 2008 and 2010 and injuries from 2010 and 2012:
• Residential spas and pools played a part in 85% of child drowning
deaths involving kids under the age of 5.
• Private pools and spas were a factor in approximately 73% of child
drowning fatalities (involving the 14 and under age group) and 50% of injuries.
• Annual averages reported: 5,100 spa/pool submersion injuries requiring
emergency care/year and 390 poo/spa drowning deaths.
• 60% of pool deaths happened in in-ground pools, 15% in above-ground
pools, and close to 10% occurred in portable pools.
Some of the reasons child drowning deaths happen:
• Improper supervision, including poorly trained lifeguards, adults
who can’t swim, distracted adults, no supervision
• Inadequate (or no) fencing
• A pool gate that failed to keep people out during off hours or
when no one was supervising
• Lack of safety or rescue equipment, including no safety pool hook,
life vests, or flotation devices
• Inadequate warning about pool depths and other dangers
• Inadequate maintenance
• Unsanitary pool water
• Murky pool waters
• Entrapment accidents
One source of serious child deaths in pools and spas that seems to have gone down is entrapment incidents. Usually caused by ill-fitting pool/spa drains, kids are at risk of drowning and other serious injuries in the event that their clothes, hair, and other body parts were to get stuck in the drain, pulling them underwater. Fortunately, the government has made it a requirement that any pool/spa drain meet federal standards. However, although the last entrapment death was reported 2007, there were several entrapment incidents in 2012
Other spa and pool accidents that can also occur:
• Slip and fall accidents
• Unsafe falls from a diving board
• Pool slide accidents
Drowning accidents can occur in in-ground pools, portable pools, and inflatable pools. Also, a person doesn’t have to die from a drowning to suffer serious injuries. Near-drownings can lead to traumatic brain injuries, head trauma, permanent disabilities, and other serious injuries and impairments.
You may have grounds for a pool drowning lawsuit against a negligent pool owner, the pool owner, the manufacturer of a defective or dangerous pool/spa part, or others. Your first case evaluation with our child injury law firm is free.
