– information for this article was culled from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) –

Swimming pools should be fun. Not deadly.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about ten people die from unintentional drowning every day in the United States.  10! Every day!  Drowning ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the United States.

A MASSIVE PROBLEM: UNINTENTIONAL DROWNINGS

• There are an average of 3,533 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States — about ten deaths per day.
• 347 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents.
• One in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger.
• For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.

BRAIN DAMAGE FROM UNINTENTIONAL DROWNINGS

• Nonfatal drowning injuries can cause severe brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (e.g., permanent vegetative state).

NEGLIGENT INJURIES AND WRONGFUL DEATHS

• Males: Nearly 80% of people who die from drowning are male.
• Children: Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates. In 2009, among children 1 to 4 years old who died from an unintentional injury, more than 30% died from drowning.
• Among children ages 1 to 4, most drownings occur in home swimming pools.
• Drowning is responsible for more deaths among children 1-4 than any other cause except congenital anomalies (birth defects).
• Among those 1-14, fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death behind motor vehicle crashes.

LEADING CAUSES OF UNINTENTIONAL DROWNING DEATHS

• Lack of Barriers: Barriers, such as pool fencing, prevent young children from gaining access to the pool area without caregivers’ awareness.
• Lack of Close Supervision: Drowning can happen quickly and quietly anywhere there is water (such as bathtubs, swimming pools, buckets), and even in the presence of lifeguards.
• Location: People of different ages drown in different locations. For example, most children ages 1-4 drown in home swimming pools.

Southern California personal injury/wrongful death attorneys are concerned about the amount of people – and especially children – that are injured or lose their life in unintentional drownings. Have you, or a loved one, has been the victim of an unintentional drowning and think that another party’s negligence, carelessness or wilful act may have been responsible? If so, you are encouraged and entitled to know your legal rights.