Every year, hundreds of children drown in swimming pools, and thousands more are treated for injuries caused by near-drowning. Pools can cause other injuries, such as paralysis resulting from a swimmer diving into water that is too shallow, as well as personal injuries caused by slipping on a wet pool deck.

Pool-related injuries are not always caused by the inherent dangers that a pool presents. Many injuries are the result of dangerous or defective pool equipment. For example, the pool's gas heater could blow up, the cover on the pool's drain could catch the foot of an unsuspecting swimmer, or the pool's slide could collapse.

Other injuries are attributable to the negligence of an owner, such as when the owner does not replace loose pool tiles that cause someone to trip, or the owner leaves the gate open, allowing a child to fall in and drown. Many injuries that could be prevented occur because of lack of planning, such as when the owner of a pool does not have sufficient rescue equipment or does not take the time to learn basic lifesaving techniques.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a pool accident, you may have a legal claim for damages. However, the type of case you have and the kind of damages you can recover depend both on who the responsible party is and how the injury occurred.

For example, if a child drowns because the pool owner left the pool gate open, there may be a premises liability claim. If a child drowns as the result of careless horseplay, there may be a claim for negligence. Claims against those who make or sell a dangerous pool product are generally product liability claims.

Each of these claims requires different legal strategies to win your case. You will need an experienced lawyer to help you first to determine who is responsible for the injury and then to prove it. Contact our personal injury legal staff for no-obligation help.