While swimming pools are known for being fun places for recreation, they also pose dangers that can result in significant and life-changing injuries. From slips and falls to drownings, swimming pool accidents can lead to high medical bills, lost wages, and permanent disability.
If you sustained injuries at a public or private pool in Franklin County or elsewhere in the state, contact an attorney with the law firm of Ross, Midian & Breitmayer, LLC, for a free consultation with an experienced Ohio personal injury lawyer. We’ll review your case, explain your options for seeking compensation, walk you through the legal process, and answer any questions you have about personal injury cases in general or your case in particular.
Swimming pool accidents can occur in various ways and at different locations. They may occur at private homes, schools, apartment complexes, hotels, water parks, or swim clubs. And some of the most common causes of these accidents include slippery surfaces, inadequate supervision, a lack of safety barriers, defective pool equipment, and missing warning signs.
Wet and slippery surfaces can be found all around most pool areas. These surfaces are among the leading causes of pool accidents, with victims frequently sustaining serious head injuries, spine injuries, and broken bones due to slipping and falling.
Lifeguards play a critical role in protecting swimmers at public pools. When a pool is understaffed or doesn’t have a lifeguard on duty, it can increase the risk of drownings and other serious pool-related injuries.
Public and private pools alike should have safety barriers in place to prevent trespassers and children from entering the pool area. These safety barriers may include fences, latched gates, or passkey-locked doors in the case of indoor hotel pools. Children are the primary victims these barriers aim to protect.
In some cases, defective pool equipment can contribute to injuries. This equipment includes malfunctioning drains, broken ladders and railings, poor lighting, and faulty electrical devices. The manufacturers of this equipment, or the company or person who installed them incorrectly, could be at fault for the resulting injuries.
Public pools should have clear warning signs informing visitors of the dangers present. This includes warning them about the risk of drowning, instructing them not to run in the pool area, informing them of whether a lifeguard is on duty, and highlighting the water depth at various points around the pool’s edge.
Injuries caused by swimming pool accidents can range in severity from minor injuries that resolve in a matter of days or weeks to major injuries that require long-term treatment or result in permanent disability.
Some of the most common injuries caused by swimming pool accidents in Ohio are:
Depending on the cause of your swimming pool injury and where it takes place, several different parties could be liable. Liability refers to a party’s financial responsibility for your losses, which are the negative effects of the accident, like medical bills and lost wages.
Examples of parties that may be liable for pool-related injuries include:
In most cases, property owners aren’t responsible for injuries caused to trespassers, as long as they provide adequate warnings and don’t intentionally harm them. However, this isn’t always the case when an attractive nuisance is present on the property.
An attractive nuisance is a feature of the property that may attract unwanted visitors, particularly children. Such nuisances may include trampolines, treehouses, and swimming pools.
Children who enter a property might not understand the danger that features on the property pose, leading to severe injuries, such as drownings. For this reason, it’s the property owner’s responsibility to take proactive steps to prevent children from entering.
If your child sustained injuries in an accident caused by a pool not being properly secured, you may be able to file a claim against the pool owner’s homeowner’s insurance policy. Our Columbus-based personal injury attorneys can handle all the details of your claim for you.
After a swimming pool accident, taking the following steps can significantly increase your chances of recovering the maximum compensation available:
The compensation available to a swimming pool accident victim covers both their tangible and intangible losses. Tangible losses you may sustain due to your injuries include past and future medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and other out-of-pocket expenses. Intangible losses include things like pain and suffering, emotional distress, and permanent disability.
If your loved one died as a result of the injuries they sustained in a swimming pool accident, you may be eligible for compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit against the at-fault party. Our Ohio wrongful death lawyers can help.
Ohio’s statute of limitations gives swimming pool accident victims two years to file lawsuits against the parties responsible for their injuries. This is a strict deadline, and missing it could prevent you from recovering the compensation you need for your medical expenses, lost wages, and other losses. The sooner you engage a Franklin County personal injury attorney to handle your case, the more likely it is that they can gather all the evidence before it disappears or degrades.
At Ross, Midian & Breitmayer, LLC, our team is rooted in Ohio values, and we’re proud to serve clients in Franklin County and across the state. We’re straightforward, approachable, and deeply committed to our clients. We also understand that no two cases are alike, and we always treat our clients and their situation with the respect they deserve.
Our Columbus-based firm handles cases that many firms overlook, including injuries at pools and other unique settings. If you sustained injuries in an Ohio swimming pool accident, contact our law firm for a free consultation with an experienced and compassionate personal injury lawyer. We’ll explain your options and walk you through what to expect from your case.
