WAYS TO ACCIDENT PROOF YOUR POOL AREA

On behalf of Shea & Shea – A Professional Law Corporation on Tuesday, June 20, 2017.

If your home has a pool, it is probably your family’s greatest form of respite from the summer heat. With the kids at home for the summer, however, it might be hard to always keep track of their whereabouts in the home, and you cannot always keep your eyes on the pool. To prevent accidents from happening, you can take some safety precautions to accident proof your pool and ensure your children do not get into any dangerous mischief that might cause them harm.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP PREPARE YOUR POOL FOR THE SUMMER SEASON:

1. Fence it: This is one of the most effective ways to keep children out of the pool when you cannot be around to keep an eye on them or they simply do not have permission. Choose a fence that is both wide enough and tall enough to keep them out of the area. It is also wise to add a gate to the fence so adults are able to easily access the pool area.
2. Move ladders: If you have an aboveground pool in your backyard, which are accessed by a ladder that leads into it, it is a good safety measure to remove all ladders from the poolside, so children are not able to access it when you are not around. Ladders are heavy, so children will not be able to move them without assistance. Therefore, putting them away means your children are highly unlikely to be able to access the pool without your presence and help.
3. Close entryways: If you cannot put up a fence, another effective way to keep kids out of the pool area is to close off the entryways, especially if your children are very young and cannot reach doorknobs. You should also always keep doors that are not in use locked.
4. Use a pool alarm: Having an alarm sound off when someone opens the gate or door to the pool area can be helpful in alerting you if a child enters the pool area without permission or adult supervision. Like an alarm system in your home, it will require the use of a special code and might even connect to your smartphone, providing alerts at your fingertips.
5. When not in use, put away pool toys: Pool toys are very alluring to young children, but removing them from the equation might make the pool less of a temptation for them. If your children are not supposed to be in the pool, keep them away in storage.
6. Minimize tripping hazards: Even with appropriate supervision, accidents can happen at the pool. Tripping near or into the pool can cause some severe injuries and, if your child does not know how to swim and accidentally falls into the pool, this can turn into a disaster. Keep the sides of the pool clear of tripping hazards like pool toys, beach towels or goggles.
7. Put a cover over the pool: Another excellent safety precaution to have when your pool is not in use is a cover. Keeping a cover over your pool can help reduce the risk of your child falling into the water and, in fact, many pools are already equipped with automatic covers.
8. Swimming lessons: If your children know how to swim, they might be less likely to drown. Lessons can extend beyond simply teaching how to swim, but also ways in which to keep themselves afloat in water or how to survive if they unexpectedly fall in the pool.
9. Separate play areas: Having a pool in your backyard is great, but when your children want to play outside, it can present a bit of a dangerous problem. Try to create a separate play area for your children to avoid accidents while they are playing in the backyard and create clear rules to let them know the pool area is off-limits.
10. Keep some rescue gear nearby: Unfortunately, accidents are not entirely preventable. This does not mean you cannot do anything about them. Be prepared and keep emergency rescue gear nearby, including life preservers, rope, kickboards, and a first aid kit. You might also want to consider getting CPR training, which is offered through various organizations, such as the American Red Cross.

San Jose Personal Injury Attorneys

If you or someone you love was injured in a swimming pool accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you might have grounds for legal action and could be entitled to compensation. At Shea & Shea – A Professional Law Corporation, our San Jose personal injury attorneys hold pool owners and operators financially liable for swimming pool accident injuries that occur as a result of their negligence. Our skilled and experienced legal team works closely with investigators, medical experts, pool builders, and others to identify failures and negligence, so we are able to build the strongest possible case on your behalf.

Cases involving near drowning often involve brain damage, which can require long-term and ongoing care for the victim. You and your family should not have to pay for someone else’s careless or negligent behavior. Our attorneys have presented victims in cases involving drowning, broken bones, anoxic injuries, crushed vertebrae, and more. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you.

Call us at (408) 883-3863 to schedule a free consultation with one of our San Jose personal injury attorneys.