Though common sense should be enough to guide pool owners to take appropriate precautionary measures to prevent tragic accidents, our swimming pool attorney knows that everyone can use a reminder of the importance of preventing young children without proper supervision from gaining access to swimming pools.  Many children love water and when there is no adult supervision, the results can be deadly.  Guarding pools with fencing and other appropriate devises is a critical element of pool safety.

As the Beaumont Enterprise recently reported, a six year old boy in Port Arthur was recently found in a neighbor’s pool.  The horrible events started when the police were informed on Tuesday evening that a child was missing.  A search ensued and the six year old boy was found floating in a neighbor’s pool several blocks away.  Rescue workers administered CPR on the scene but the boy was pronounced dead at the hospital. 

A spokeswoman for Family and Protective Services noted that this swimming pool accident was the fourth in Jefferson County and the 69^th in Texas.  The events are especially tragic because the child in question had Down Syndrome and did not speak.  It is not clear how he gained access to the pool in question.  Adults were present in his home at the time he disappeared and a fence surrounded the pool.  Local officials are currently investigating the accident.

As our Dallas swimming pool attorney at the J. Guerra Law Firm knows, basic protective measures, like fences around pools, are only useful when maintained.  Fences must be kept in good repair and gates must be firmly latched at all times.  It is not enough just to have a fence; the fence must be sturdy enough to keep unwanted visitors out.  As many parents know, even young children can climb.  Having a fence that is easy to climb enclosing a pool may be as useless as not having a fence at all.  That is why it is not enough to install a fence, it must be routinely inspected.  Keeping the area around the fence clear is important too.  If a box or garbage can is propped up against the fence, even small children can scale it and gain access to the pool.

When swimming pool catastrophes strike, consulting an attorney specializing in swimming pool accidents is invaluable.  Often accidents are the result of negligence or worse.  Holding careless and criminal swimming pool owners legally accountable is one way to make pools safer.  If pool owners know that they might be sued if a child wanders into their yard and drowns in their pool, they are much more likely to ensure that the fence is tough enough to do its job.

Sixty nine drownings in Texas this year is sixty nine too many.  Children are particularly vulnerable because they do not always have the common sense to protect themselves.  Kids see a pool and think fun.  They do not always know their own limits and can get into trouble quickly.  That is why it is so important that pool owners use common sense for them.  

See Related Blog Posts:

Tragic Swimming Pool Drowning Spurs Pool Safety Charity Swim

Two Year Old Drowns in Texas Community Pool Over Holiday Weekend