Drowning Accidents

Florida’s beautiful beaches, lakes, rivers, and springs are a big part of our state’s appeal for both visitors and residents. In addition, the Sunshine State’s perfect weather for swimming means that swimming pools are a popular fixture in backyards statewide. In other words, our state is brimming with potential drowning hazards. For all age groups in the U.S., drowning ranks sixth among the leading causes of death from unintentional injuries. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, on average, there are about 10 drownings per day. Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children between 1 and 14.

At Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, our firm’s Fort Myers and Naples drowning accident attorneys know that about one in every five drowning victims is a child under the age of 14. We have seen the anguish of families who must try to deal with such an unimaginable loss. Our swimming pool accident lawyers know that many drowning accidents could have been prevented. If you have lost a child in a drowning accident because someone was negligent, our firm is here to help you.

Fort Myers drowning accident lawyers at our firm know that lack of supervision is a key factor in drowning deaths of young children. Very young children – the 1-to-4 age group – are much more likely to drown in residential swimming pools. The CDC explains that it only takes a few minutes for a tragedy to occur. Most small children who lose their lives in pools are found to have been unobserved for fewer than five minutes.

Acknowledging that drowning led the causes of death of young children in Florida, state legislators enacted a law requiring property owners with swimming pools to ensure that safety features are in place to limit access. Fort Myers and Cape Coral swimming pool accident lawyers at our firm know that pool owners who fail to maintain proper barriers or other safety features can be held liable for their negligence if a drowning or near drowning occurs. We will take steps to aggressively represent you and your child if a careless or negligent property owner is to blame for injury or loss of life.

The Fort Myers and Naples personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, know that for every child who dies in a drowning accident, another four kids are treated in emergency rooms for near-drowning accidents. The National Institutes of Health explains that “near drowning means a person almost died from not being able to breathe (suffocating) under water.” Further, the NIH points out that “children can drown in only a few inches of water.” That emphasizes that bathtubs and other household receptacles can prove just as dangerous to unsupervised kids as swimming pools can.

Our Cape Coral and Naples swimming pool accident lawyers understand that near-drowning accidents can leave children forever changed. Lack of oxygen can cause brain damage. In turn, such a severe injury can mean that your child could be left with learning disabilities, memory difficulty, or in the most serious cases, in a vegetative state that requires long term life-support. The expense associated with life-long care for the victim of a traumatic brain injury can be staggering.

Our firm is recognized throughout Southwest Florida for its ongoing support for safety on our area’s roads and in other situations. Safety for swimmers is just as important an initiative. Perhaps because Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, remains a family firm at heart, we feel a connection with families, and we work hard to provide the aggressive representation families need when serious injuries or wrongful deaths shatter their lives. If a drowning or near drowning accident affects you or your child, call on the skills of our drowning accident attorneys in Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral and other communities in Southwest Florida. We offer you a free case evaluation, and if we can help, you’ll owe us nothing unless we win.

800-646-1210 – Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner – Focused on Justice

About Children and Drowning

• In a year’s time, more than 3,400 people die in the U.S. from drowning.
• One in every five drowning victims is under the age of 14.
• Four children require emergency medical treatment for every one that succumbs to drowning.
• Near drowning accidents may leave children or adults with severe brain damage that forever alters their lives.
• African American children have significantly higher rates of death from drowning than do white children.
• Lack of supervision and lack of barriers are key causes of drowning among children.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention