Summer in Florida generally means enjoying time around a pool. And while that’s a great way to relax, pools can also be one of the biggest culprits of slip and fall accidents and other injuries. To avoid having to contact a slip and fall attorney this summer, you should take precautions and protect yourself and your loved ones against pool accidents.
Even if you only plan to visit private pools in the backyards of your friends or family, you should know these pool safety tips. Unfortunately, a lot can go wrong at a pool, whether it’s public or private. In fact, poor pool maintenance by homeowners can lead to some terrible injuries, including entrapment from pool drains that are missing proper caps and protection.
To know what to look for and how to help keep your family safe this summer, read on.
How to Avoid Common Pool Accidents
With some heightened awareness and emergency preparedness, you can have a safe and enjoyable summer by the pool. Follow these pool safety tips, and make sure to educate your loved ones!
- Watch where you’re going. In addition to being wet, pool surfaces can be uneven, leading to a trip and fall situation that could leave you injured.
- Ensure children wear life vests around the water and not just pool floaties. While you can have the best of intentions of watching them every second, children are fast and can fall into the water in an instant. Life vests are designed to keep a child’s head out of the water and are difficult for the child to remove alone. Floaties, on the other hand, could leave your child face down and struggling in the water. Or worse, they could remove the devices on their own before entering the water.
- Wear smart pool shoes. Many people choose to wear flip flops around a pool. However, these might make it easier for you to slip and fall and get injured. Sandals with backs and good straps, and good rubber grips can help you keep your balance and recover if you trip, or slip in standing water.
- Avoid getting close to pool drains. Unless you’re a pool maintenance expert, it will be difficult to ensure that the drain has the proper coverings to avoid an injury or entrapment. It’s best to just stay away from such drains.
- Get a tour of the pool deck and life-saving devices before you begin swimming. Even if you are at a friend’s house, ask where the life preserver or shepherd’s hook is located in case of an emergency. While everyone hopes they never need such life-saving devices, it’s smart to know where they’re located before enjoying a cooling dip in the pool.
- Never swim alone. Public pools have lifeguards for a reason—and it’s because even the best swimmers can make mistakes while swimming and may need assistance. So, even if you’re a fantastic swimmer, you shouldn’t enter the water without someone else present to keep an eye out for you.
- Drink plenty of water. Your attentiveness depends on you feeling your best while in the water. Dehydration can happen quickly when you’re outside for extended periods. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which both dehydrate you.
What to Do If You or a Loved One Suffers a Pool Accident
If you or a loved one sustains a pool-related injury, here are some steps you should take immediately.
- If you are injured, call 911 or seek medical attention immediately.
- Report the incident to the property owner. This might be by filling out a report with your local pool or by contacting the private party whose pool you were using.
- Collect evidence surrounding the incident. Take photos of the area where the accident happened and of your injuries.
- If there were any witnesses, be sure to collect their contact information and accounts of the pool accident.
- Contact qualified slip and fall attorneys or premises liability attorneys. An attorney can help guide you in the proper next steps to preserve your rights to file a lawsuit later on, if you so choose.
- Do not discuss the accident with anyone outside of emergency professionals or your attorney. Always have your attorney present for conversations with other parties, such as the property owner’s insurance company.
- Complete any medical treatment or physical therapy your medical professional recommends. It’s important that you focus on getting better under your doctor’s care and leave the rest up to your attorney.
Contacting Experienced Slip and Fall Attorneys
One of the most common types of pool accidents is a slip and fall due to the wet surface around a pool deck. Slip and fall attorneys know how to review the information surrounding your accident to help you decide whether or not to take legal action.
Additionally, if the property owner was negligent in their care for the pool, protecting it with a gated fence or posting proper signage to warn of harm, you could also have a valid premises liability case. At Goldman & Daszkal, our attorneys can review your pool accident and ensure you get the legal representation you deserve. Contact us to learn more about how we can help.