Establishing Liability for Summertime Pool Injuries
Posted Friday, April 30, 2021 by Chris Thayer
Summertime is fast approaching, and it cannot come soon enough. However, with increased temperatures come more pool openings and more pool-related injuries. Unfortunately, while pools are fun and refreshing, they also carry a great amount of liability and risk. According to the CDC, young children and elderly adults are the most likely to suffer debilitating poolside injuries and deaths. With pools often being surrounded by slippery hard surfaces, it is easy to understand how so many injuries occur. Poolside injuries are a slippery slope, as a debilitating poolside injury can quickly turn into an accidental drowning, over 3,500 such deaths occur each year, and the number is rising.
*Common Pool Injuries * The consequences of a poolside slip-and-fall accident can range from minor to fatal. If someone slips and hits their head on hard concrete, it can result in a traumatic brain injury. Some of the most dangerous accidents occur when someone slips, hits their head, is knocked unconscious, and ends up in an unsupervised pool. Far too many deaths occur this way, and they are preventable.
Depending on how an individual falls, a poolside slip can result in anything from a broken or sprained ankle to partial or complete paralysis. If someone lands on their back, spinal cord injuries, such as fractures, herniated disks, bursitis, and even a broken back can occur. Sprained and broken bones, particularly the ankles, wrists, arm, and hip, are common.
In addition to slip-and-fall accidents, there are many other common injuries due to pools. For example, improperly balanced pool chemicals can result in chemical burns, blindness, and painful reactions. Electrocution and accidental drowning are also possible. It is important to exercise caution when deciding where to swim, rather than assuming that all pools are safe.
*Should I Sue for a Pool Injury?* If you or a loved one has suffered a pool-related injury or even death, a lawsuit can allow you to recover all costs associated with your injury. You are likely to succeed in your lawsuit if you can show that the pool owner’s negligence contributed to causing your injury. If the owners failed to warn (verbally or on signs) of the slippery pool surface and did not take precautions to mitigate the risk, they will likely be liable for your injuries.
*The Benefits of a Lawsuit * A successful personal injury lawsuit aims to place you in the position you would have been in had the injury not occurred. This can include compensation for all costs related to past and future medical treatment for the injury, lost wages, reduced earning potential, loss of consortium, loss of enjoyment of life, and funeral and burial expenses if applicable. Additionally, you can receive compensation for the non-economic damages of pain and suffering, which aims to compensate you for the physical and emotional trauma you have suffered as a result of the accident. Additionally, in some cases, where the pool-owners’s conduct was particularly reckless or malicious, punitive damages may also be appropriate.
*Talk to a Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer * If you have suffered an injury as a result of a preventable pool injury, the Seattle personal injury lawyers Pivotal Law Group can help you get the compensation to which you are entitled. Serving Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Burien, Mercer Island, Issaquah, and all surrounding areas, Pivotal Law Group is ready to help you achieve the best possible outcome in your case. Call today to schedule a consultation.