As Schools Let Out for Summer, Heed Lessons on Backyard Pool Safety
Posted by Randy Appleton
June 8, 2015 6:12 AM
June 8, 2015 6:12 AM
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On May 31, 2015, a 6-year-old girl drowned in a private pool in Virginia Beach, VA. Very little information was made public about the tragedy, but it prompted the head of the city’s Emergency Medical Services Division to share these backyard pool safety tips with the Virginian-Pilot:
A fence with a locking gate can do much to prevent children’s drownings.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission provides even more detailed advice regarding what the agency calls “pool security.” It is quoted verbatim here to emphasize how important it is to keep unattended kids and inexpert swimmers away from pools while no responsible adult is nearby.
Backyard pools are not the only site for drownings and near-drownings, but the amenities deserve special attention in Virginia Beach, where a life on the water extends well beyond the Oceanfront. Particularly as summer heats up and public schools let out on June 18, homeowners and apartment complexes with pools need to do all they can to prevent unnecessary injuries and deaths. Those efforts must include discouraging swimmers from doing things that put them at risk for suffering neck injuries and traumatic brain injuries by diving into shallow water.
At one level, protecting pool users protects property owners from settling insurance claims and paying out damages under the principle of premises liability. As a Virginia personal injury lawyer I could take several paragraphs to explain concepts like “attractive nuisance,” “contributory negligence,” and “in loco parentis.” Instead, I will just note that homeowners and business often get held liable when others get hurt or killed on their property.
The much more important reason to restrict access to pools and watch young swimmers closely is that taking those responsible actions save lives.
EJL