Lawsuits resulting from drowning accidents in swimming pools in Miami and throughout South Florida have become fairly prevalent over the years, as the state ranks among the nation’s highest for drowning fatalities for young children in swimming pools. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that drowning accidents are the second leading cause of death of children between the ages of one and 14. Of the 4,000 people who die from drowning every year in the country, roughly one-third are children under the age of 14, and almost 20 percent of those drown in a public pool with a trained lifeguard present.

Drownings or near-drownings in swimming pools are often caused by careless supervision, improper pool covers, unsafe drain covers, and negligent care. In many cases, the accident can be attributed to a lack of proper care and precautions from those who are responsible for the property or its pool. Drowning accident lawyers such as those at our firm should be consulted to determine whether legal actions should be taken to assign responsibility and seek a recovery after these tragic incidents.

With so many swimming pools in homes, hotels and parks throughout South Florida, children are often left in the water alone or unsupervised. In some cases, the accidents take place in yards where the pool is not properly covered, blocked or fenced off.

In addition, drownings and near drownings also take place at nursing homes and other elderly care facilities, where the residents are too weak to hold their head above water in bathtubs.

A significant percentage of near-drowning cases result in brain damage, which can occur after only minutes under water and can leave the victim mentally incapacitated for the remainder of their life, often with significant costs for the rehabilitation and specialized care that they require. Lifelong care for brain damage victims will run into the millions of dollars.

Our Miami drowning accident lawyers are available for free and confidential consultations for anyone who has been affected by a drowning or near-drowning incident that may have been caused by the negligence or acts of others.