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Serious Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
Monday, October 20, 2008
Near-Drowning
Drowning is defined as death secondary to a loss of oxygen while immersed in a liquid, usually water, or within 24 hours of submersion. Drowning does not usually take place when an individual is helplessly gasping and thrashing in the water. That is rarely the report of a drowning victim. Instead, it is a more ominous scenario of a motionless individual floating in the water or quietly disappearing beneath the surface. Near-drowning on the other hand, connotes the immersion of sufficient severity to warrant medical attention and may lead to serious injury or death. Near-drowning victims frequently have profound, permanent brain injury requiring full-time care for all of their daily life activities.
Labels: brain damage, drowning
posted by Biera Campbell at 2:02 PM
Monday, June 30, 2008
A Safe Summer Camp Requires a Well-Run Waterfront
As previously reported in this blog, one of the leading causes of injuries and death to children are drownings and near-drownings. Accordingly, parents should be certain that the system established at the summer camp to which they are sending their children is adequate in concept, fully implemented and supervised appropriately. Basic elements of pool safety require the following:
1. Each child should be tested to determine the level of their swimming competence.
2. Each child should be identified with an armband or similar device to identify that child’s swimming capabilities. (e.g. non-swimmers should have a red arm band)
3. Everyone in charge of the child should know and understand the swimming competence of each child under their supervision whether the individual is a camp counselor or a lifeguard.
4. All children should be gathered together, before entering the pool for the first time, and all pool rules should be reviewed carefully to assure that each child understands the rules.
5. The pool should be separated to divide the shallow end (usually an area of 3’ or less) from the deep end.
6. Only lifeguards adequately certified in life-saving techniques should be permitted to serve in that capacity and counselors, although they may be on guard to watch their campers, when in the water, cannot be delegated the responsibility appropriately assigned to trained and certified lifeguards.
7. Counselors needs to be trained in their duties while the campers are in the water.
1. Each child should be tested to determine the level of their swimming competence.
2. Each child should be identified with an armband or similar device to identify that child’s swimming capabilities. (e.g. non-swimmers should have a red arm band)
3. Everyone in charge of the child should know and understand the swimming competence of each child under their supervision whether the individual is a camp counselor or a lifeguard.
4. All children should be gathered together, before entering the pool for the first time, and all pool rules should be reviewed carefully to assure that each child understands the rules.
5. The pool should be separated to divide the shallow end (usually an area of 3’ or less) from the deep end.
6. Only lifeguards adequately certified in life-saving techniques should be permitted to serve in that capacity and counselors, although they may be on guard to watch their campers, when in the water, cannot be delegated the responsibility appropriately assigned to trained and certified lifeguards.
7. Counselors needs to be trained in their duties while the campers are in the water.
Labels: camp, drowning, lifeguards, pool safety, summer
posted by Biera Campbell at 7:00 AM
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Drownings of Children Under the Age of Five Increase
There is a reported increase in the average number of drowning deaths in pools and spas among children under five years of age elevating concerns of the use of cheap, inflatable pools that do not have the added safety measures of stationery pools with fences and alarms.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has revealed that the number of drowning deaths involving children younger than five years of age has increased from 267 for the time period of 2002 to 2004 to 283 for the period of 2003 to 2005. The majority of deaths and injuries occur in residential settings and involve children ages one to two years of age. Parents frequently assume that because the pool is inflatable, small and shallow that they do not have to protect children in the pool. However, vigilance is a necessity whenever children are near water. Moreover, the cover utilized for these inflatable pools is intended to keep debris out of the water but young children playing on the cover can get tangled in it and become injured or drown. Some states, like the Commonwealth of Virginia, have recently passed a pool and spa safety act which aims to promote general pool safety and prevent drowning deaths from entrapment in drains. By December 19, 2008 all pools have to have safety drain covers and, in certain circumstances, anti-entrapment systems to prevent against entrapment of hair in drains.
Parents should know that drowning is a leading cause of unintentional death in children, ages one to four, and that the number one defense against injury or death in a pool or spa is parental supervision. The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. and its Washington D.C. trial attorneys are experienced in representing individuals whose children suffered injuries or death as a result of drowning.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has revealed that the number of drowning deaths involving children younger than five years of age has increased from 267 for the time period of 2002 to 2004 to 283 for the period of 2003 to 2005. The majority of deaths and injuries occur in residential settings and involve children ages one to two years of age. Parents frequently assume that because the pool is inflatable, small and shallow that they do not have to protect children in the pool. However, vigilance is a necessity whenever children are near water. Moreover, the cover utilized for these inflatable pools is intended to keep debris out of the water but young children playing on the cover can get tangled in it and become injured or drown. Some states, like the Commonwealth of Virginia, have recently passed a pool and spa safety act which aims to promote general pool safety and prevent drowning deaths from entrapment in drains. By December 19, 2008 all pools have to have safety drain covers and, in certain circumstances, anti-entrapment systems to prevent against entrapment of hair in drains.
Parents should know that drowning is a leading cause of unintentional death in children, ages one to four, and that the number one defense against injury or death in a pool or spa is parental supervision. The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. and its Washington D.C. trial attorneys are experienced in representing individuals whose children suffered injuries or death as a result of drowning.
Labels: drowning, pool safety
posted by Biera Campbell at 6:52 AM
