According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2005 through 2009 there was an average of about ten deaths per day as a result of unintentional drowning in the United States. Drowning is one of the most common causes of death for children because young children can drown in as little as one-inch of water. Fortunately, drowning deaths are often preventable.
At Murphy & Prachthauser, we take pride in being good lawyers who help people, stay safe. When you visit the swimming pool or lake this summer, you should take action and follow these simple safety tips to help prevent drowning.
Two Key Swim Safety Tips
Supervise your children. Drowning often happens very fast. If you are watching your children closely, you should be able to react in time to jump in the water and help the child. Having a safety ring or flotation device close by for emergencies is always a good safeguard. In an emergency situation, it is often difficult to know what to do. The Red Cross offers CPR and first aid training to teach people life saving techniques and ways to help if someone is drowning.
Teach your child to swim. One of the major reasons children drown is that they cannot swim. Children may begin taking swimming lessons as young as one to four years old. Lessons are available for people of all ages and are an important investment to prevent drowning.
Tips For Swimming At Lakes Or Large Bodies Of Water
Never let your child go swimming alone. As previously mentioned, drowning happens fast. If your child is swimming with a friend and you are close by, a friend can easily alert you if your child is have difficulties in the water.
Always make your child wears a life jacket. Water in a lake is wavy and unpredictable. A wave from a passing boat or Jet Ski can quickly pull a child underwater. A life jacket will help your child stay afloat and make the child easy to spot in the water.
Be aware of signs indicating where it is safe to swim. Public beaches or swimming areas usually have signs posted for designated swimming areas. Make sure to talk to your children about where it is safe to swim and to abide by the signs. Some areas may be dangerous for swimming because they are in boat paths or because pipes or other hazardous materials may be submerged under the surface.
Water Safety Tips For Residential Pool Owners
Block access to the pool when you are not around. Put up a fence around your swimming pool that is at least 4 feet high. A fence can prevent children from wandering or playing near the water and accidentally falling into the pool. The fence should have a self-latching door and should be designed so children cannot easily crawl over it. Additionally, pool covers also detract children from going into the pool.
Instruct children to avoid the drains in the pool. Children can get their hair or swimming suit caught in the drains in the pool if they are not careful. This can cause drowning because if something gets caught the child could get pulled under water.
Remove toys from the pool area when you leave the pool. If children are playing outside near the pool and spot their favorite toy in the pool area, chances are they are going to try and get the toys without letting you know they are going near the pool. Removing this temptation keeps the children safely away from the pool.
Do you have any other water safety tips to share? Let us know in the comments!
At Murphy & Prachthauser we practice personal injury law the way it should be practiced – motivated and equipped to do our best for you. We take pride in being good lawyers who help people.
If you have a case you would like to speak to a lawyer about, please contact us to schedule a free consultation and get an experienced team of lawyers working on your behalf.
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Water-Safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html
http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/water-safety/home-pool-safety