One of the true delights of summer is finding a pool somewhere to use. Maybe your homeowners] association provides a pool for the neighborhood’s use. Maybe there’s a community pool to which you have access. Maybe you just have a neighbor who is generous enough to let you hang out in their pool.
Unfortunately, a good time at the pool can quickly turn into a disaster if safety precautions aren’t observed. Roughly 6,400 children 15 years of age and younger end up in the emergency room every year due to pool-related injuries. Even being an adult, however, won’t protect you from harm if things get a little wild. It’s very easy to end up with water in your lungs, broken bones, a spinal cord injury or a traumatic brain injury around a pool — particularly when there’s alcohol around.
If the worst happens, and you get hurt, do you have a right to sue? Most likely, yes.
A pool’s owner (whether that’s a company, a government entity or a neighbor) has a certain obligation to make sure that guests are kept reasonably safe from foreseeable dangers. Generally speaking, that means they’re responsible for things like:
- Making sure that nobody is diving into the water when people are swimming
- Prohibiting pushing, jumping and running around the sides of the pool
- Limiting alcohol and making sure that people who are intoxicated aren’t swimming
- Warning people when the pool decks are wet and requiring appropriate footwear
If the owners of a pool failed to keep things under control and provide for your reasonable safety, you have every right to ask for compensation for your losses. A slip-and-fall injury at a pool can take a long time to heal — if ever. Seek legal guidance about your claim as soon as possible.
