Swimming is a popular way to beat the heat when summer cranks up the temperature. If you plan on enjoying a pool at some point this summer, you should make sure you’re aware of just how much risk these fixtures can actually carry. Swimming pools cause an unfortunately high number of injuries and
fatalities each year—through the year 2014 over 3,500 people died from drowning annually according to CDC statistics. So in order to make sure you, your family, and those who dive into the pool with you remain safe, here are a few tips to help avoid a potentially tragic accident.
Follow the Rules
Most pools have a standard set of rules that should be followed and enforced at all times. Perhaps the most well-known and most-enforced rule should be “no running.” Pool decks get wet quickly, and a wet deck is extremely slippery. Slip-and-fall accidents have been known to result in skinned up knees and elbows, but can also lead to broken bones, concussions, and even worse, accidents where the person who slips hits their head and falls in the pool. However, other rules are for your safety as well. To avoid cramps or muscle spasms, it’s highly-recommended you wait at least a half-hour after you eat before jumping back into the pool. Finally, make sure that horseplay or dangerous conduct is strictly forbidden.
Watch Where you Dive
Diving in can be a great way to go head first into the water and get speed boost to start your daily laps back and forth. However, while diving is a popular hobby among swimmers, everyone who dives needs to know to make sure they’re diving into water deep enough to support them. Diving into the shallow end can result in serious injuries including concussions or even a broken neck and paralysis. If you have a pool in your yard, make sure you clearly indicate which end of the water is suitable for diving so anyone who wishes to do so won’t accidentally jump into the wrong end.
Avoid a Drowning Accident
Drowning is perhaps the most obvious and looming threat whenever jumping into the swimming pool, and there are certainly some things you should do to avoid this from becoming an issue. Always make sure you and your kids stay away from any drains or filters, as clothing or long hair can become lodged in them and prevent you from getting back to the surface. Always make sure your pool’s drains are guarded using approved protective covers. Likewise, always have life-saving equipment like a hook or life preserver readily available for the event of an emergency.
If you or a loved one suffers an unfortunate drowning accident this summer, review your legal options by calling an Otsego County injury attorney. Call Scarzafava & Basadekis at (607) 228-8404 for a free case evaluation.