Serious Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Summertime, swimming and children can be a recipe for tragedy. Those three components demand never-ending vigilance when children are swimming in water whether it is a pool, a lake, or the ocean. One can never be too careful to assure that children are always in view and can be immediately retrieved from the water at the first sign of danger. In a tragic recent case, a five year old was in a camp that failed to adhere to the requirement that they assure that any child placed in the water be consistently monitored to assure that they are safe and secure and not in any danger of drowning. Unfortunately, this five year old was placed in water that was too deep for his level of swimming competence for reasons that are yet to be determined. Despite the fact that this child was placed in water levels that were unsafe given his capabilities, lifeguards and other supervisory personnel failed to vigilantly monitor and observe the child. The child was discovered under the water after being there for at least 5 minutes. The child has suffered a severe, profound, and what appears to be a permanent, disabling brain injury. This tragedy points out the need for parents and supervisors of all children to be vigilant in their care of children. Accordingly, each of us need to be reminded of the requirement that it is required that there cannot be any point in time at which we lose sight of a child in water. The risk and danger to the child of permanent, profound injury is simply too great.

by Ira Sherman