California Injury Blog
A 2-year-old boy is in critical condition after he nearly drowned in his family pool on January 11, 2009, According to a Desert Sun article. The toddler, whose name was not released, was found after his mother noticed him missing from the house. The child was found submerged in the pool. Emergency personnel performed CPR on the toddler and transported him to a local hospital. The child is said to be hanging on to his life.
My heart goes out to this Riverside County family. I’m extremely glad that the child survived what could have been a fatal Riverside swimming pool accident. I hope the little one makes it out of this nightmare and I will pray for his quick and complete recovery.
This news report does not give any information about how the child got into the pool. Was there a gate around the pool? Was the pool gate closed or locked? These are important questions to ask. Had that child been a neighbor’s child or a visiting child that had fallen into the pool, the homeowners could be held financially responsible for the near drowning.
These types of accidents can be extremely serious as we are finding out in this child’s case. He’s fighting for his life and I sincerely hope he escapes any permanent injury such as brain damage or other organ damage as a result of this near drowning. In swimming pool drowning accidents, especially those involving children, the most common injury is brain injury/damage because oxygen is cut off to the brain when the child goes under water. Medical expenses in a near drowning accident could easily run into millions of dollars. Almost every summer, our firm represents families whose loved one drowned because of the negligence of a homeowner, a caretaker or a lifeguard.
With year-round good weather as we are seeing right now, Southern California is more prone to swimming pool accidents than any other state. Statistics show that Los Angeles County has more than twice as many near drowning incidents – more than 200 a year – as San Diego County and Orange County combined. Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties, together, account for half of all near-drowning incidents in California.
What we need to remember is to make sure that there is always more than adequate supervision when children are playing. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC offers comprehensive information about backyard pool safety and how you can protect your little ones from swimming pool accidents.