When the summer months heat up, many North Carolina residents head to their backyard pool or local swimming pool to cool off. However, many people drown every single year. While many of these drownings are caused by medical episodes or carelessness, other accidents occur because of hazardous premises.
A common myth that many people believe about drowning is that a person only drowns if they are not a good swimmer. This is not true. Those who have been swimming all of their lives can still overestimate their swimming abilities. This can lead them too far from the shore or not realize that they are too tired to swim until it is too late. Additionally, many who are drowning are unable to thrash around or call for help. Tired swimmers, especially those under the age of 14, often just slip quietly under the water.
If a person does drown, the owner of the pool could potentially be held responsible for any damages the family sustained. For example, if a pool owner is hosting a private party and a child drowns due to inadequate supervision, the owner could be held liable. If there are known hazards that could lead to a drowning accident, the owner must either warn visitors about the hazard or fix the hazard.
Swimming pools can be dangerous if the pool owner does not take the time to reduce potential drowning hazards. If a person suffers an injury in a pool owned by another person, the injured individual may potentially file a premises liability claim against the owner. An attorney may help provide evidence showing that the pool owner knew about potential hazards but failed to adequately warn the injured person or mitigate the problem. Depending on the injuries that were suffered, the injured person could potentially seek compensation for their medical costs and lost income.