Keep Your Children and Friends Safe Around the Swimming Pool This Summer

Everyone loves a warm summer day spent by the pool. It is important, however, to keep in mind the risks involved in having a pool and the many precautions that New Jersey homeowners must take to keep their guests safe.

Both children and adults are at risk of drowning around pools, though small children are at the greatest risk. Among the ten people who drown each day on average, two of them are children aged 14 or younger. Toddlers are at the greatest risk for drowning injury, and drowning is the leading cause of death (aside from birth defects) for children aged 1-4. Even if the victim is not fatally injured, those who suffer submersion injuries can incur substantial brain damage, loss of brain function, memory loss, and learning disabilities.

Drowning is only one way that people are injured around pools. Where the depth of a pool is not carefully marked, visitors may overestimate the depth of a pool and dive into shallow waters, injuring their neck or spine. Additionally, when inappropriate materials are used to pave the sidewalks and paths around pools, they can become wet and slippery, resulting in serious slip-and-fall injuries.

New Jersey requires those with pools to comply with important state laws, including licensing requirements for even temporary pools. Pools must be surrounded by fencing that is at least five feet tall and secured with a self-latching gate. Pool owners should also consider installing an alarm that will sound whenever someone enters the pool. Be sure you understand the voluminous laws on the subject if you have a pool or are considering adding one to your yard. Likewise, if you or your child experiences an injury when visiting a pool on someone else’s property, and the owner failed to adequately protect that pool, then you may have a claim for money damages for your injuries. Liability can come from failure to secure the pool with a compliant gate or fence, using a dangerous diving board, failing to note the pool’s depth, or using slippery materials on the ground around the pool.

If you or your child has been injured in a swimming pool accident in New Jersey, seek legal help in obtaining compensation for your medical expenses and lost wages by contacting the skilled Wayne personal injury lawyers at Massood Law Group for a free consultation, at 973-696-1900.