Maryland Pool Injury + Drowning Attorney

Swimming pools can help you destress, relax, get exercise, and beat Maryland’s hot summer weather. However, the benefits of a swimming pool may be eclipsed by its dangers. Swimming pool injuries are more common than many people realize – and for young children, the risk is especially high. In fact, the CDC reports that drowning is the number one cause of accidental death among children aged one to four years old.

If you were injured while swimming, or if a loved one was killed in a drowning accident, you should know about the rights you may have to financial compensation. If you were the victim of negligence, you could have a personal injury claim against the person or company at fault for your accident. To talk about your swimming pool accident confidentially in a free legal consultation, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291, or contact us online today.

CDC Drowning Accident Statistics

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports some alarming facts about pool safety and accidental drowning in the United States. According to CDC drowning and pool injury statistics:

  • An average of more than 3,500 people died annually from accidental drowning during the period from 2005 to 2014.
  • Over half of all near-drowning victims need additional care after their initial E.R. admission, compared to around 6% for other accidental injury types.
  • Roughly one in five accidental drowning victims are children aged zero to 14.
  • Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages one to four.
  • African American children aged five to 19 have a drowning risk that is 5.5 times higher than white children in the same age group.

Pool Safely, which describes itself as “a national public education campaign that works with partners around the country to reduce child drownings and entrapments in swimming pools and spas,” reports that during the period from 2012 to 2014, more than 350 drowning deaths among children ages zero to 14 were reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Causes of Accidental Drowning + Pool Injuries in Maryland

Accidental drowning and swimming pool injuries can have a wide range of causes. However, most of these causes share some element of human error or negligence, potentially giving rise to a lawsuit. Dangers and hazards that can cause an avoidable pool accident include:

  • Dangerous or defective products, such as pool toys, pool vacuums, pool filter systems, or pool decorations
  • Exposed electrical hazards
  • Failure to train or test lifeguards and other employees properly
  • Failure to warn or label hazards properly
  • Faulty or defective pool ladders or safety rails
  • Harmful or toxic chemicals used to clean and disinfect pool water
  • Lifeguards who are inattentive, inexperienced, intoxicated, or absent from their posts
  • Missing or inaccurate pool signs, such as signs indicating the depth of the water
  • Wet or slippery surfaces on the deck or around the pool

Who is Liable for Swimming Pool Accidents in Maryland?

Swimming pool accidents often have more than one cause, and more than one party may be at fault or partially at fault. Our experienced pool injury lawyer can investigate your case in detail to determine who may be liable for your injuries, or for the wrongful death of your loved one. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the accident, liable parties could include negligent lifeguards, property owners, maintenance workers, gym or hotel franchises, pool toy manufacturers, the manufacturers of pool filtration and vacuum systems, or others whose carelessness played a role in the accident.

Types of Pool Accident Injury Claims We Handle

Swimming pool accidents can occur in backyard swimming pools, hotel pools, luxury resorts, public swimming pools, kiddie pools and inflatable pools, spas and jacuzzies, infinity pools, gym and recreational centers, or any other setting where there is a swimming pool. At Rice, Murtha & Psoras, we handle all types of swimming pool injury claims in Maryland, from cases involving residential pools to litigation against large corporations. Types of pool-related injury claims we handle include:

  • Back injuries
  • Broken bones
  • Cuts, bleeding, and bruises
  • Dislocated joints
  • Diving board injuries
  • Dry drowning injuries
  • Exposure to toxic pool cleaners or chemicals
  • Hypothermia
  • Internal injuries
  • Neck injuries
  • Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) and paralysis
  • Sprains and other soft tissue injuries
  • Submersion injuries
  • Wrongful death

Our Maryland Pool Injury + Drowning Lawyer Can Help You Today

A swimming pool accident can leave permanent scars on your family. By striving to hold the responsible parties accountable, Randolph Rice can help you take the first steps forward. He may be able to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other losses by showing how negligence caused your injuries. For a free legal consultation about a swimming pool accident or injury in Maryland, contact Rice, Murtha & Psoras online, or call (410) 684-7291 for 24/7 assistance statewide.