Drowning injury facts

Drowning is the fifth leading cause of accidental deaths of people among varied ages in the United States. Majority of cases however involves from children ages 1 to 14.

Drowning is caused by suffocation when liquid interrupts the body’s absorption of oxygen from the air - leading to asphyxia. In serious events, drowning may also lead to cardiac arrests, the reason why many victims die.

Drowning may result in death and long-term disabilities that may range from memory problems, learning disabilities to even the complete paralysis of the victim.

There are various kinds of drowning. These depend on the place where the incident happened. Fresh water drowning occurs on rivers, pools and lake. Other kinds of drowning are seawater drowning and drowning in other fluids, which rarely occur.

From among the varied kinds of drowning, majority of drowning situations occur in commercial swimming pools and in open water areas.

In addition, children have the high risk of drowning.

Water safety measures

Commercial swimming pools and recreational boating have reported several cases of fatal and nonfatal drowning injury across the state of California.

The growing rate of swimming enthusiast brought the increased in fatalities in drowning related injuries and death.

For this reason, the state of California and several other states have enacted water safety laws and measures to address the rise of drowning injuries and death within the region.

Among others, the measures required some type of fencing around commercial and residential pools. In addition, it enacted along with several other states boating safety laws requiring children to wear water vest at all times when on boat or near bodies of water.

Drowning accidents civil litigations

Commercial pool owners and recreational boating operators may be legally liable for drowning injuries and death that happen within their premises or under their guidance.

The said owners and operators are required to exercise standard of care as laid by the law. Their failure to meet the required standard of care due to inattention or negligence would make them financially and legally liable to the injured victims.

In California, pool owners and recreational boating operators are required to follow the code and safety laws. Otherwise, inaction or failure to follow the mandated safety measures would not pardon them from any liabilities.

Safety laws violations may arise from the following risk factors:

• lack of proper provisioning of safety life preservers or personal floating devices,

• lack of lifeguard in pools,

• operating a boat after intoxication,

• lack of barriers such as pool fencing,

• lack of adult or professional supervisions,

• water conditions that exceeds swimmer’s abilities

• lack of medical rescue equipment

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