West Palm Beach Drowning Accident Lawyers Advocating for Victim Rights and Fair Compensation in Swimming Pool Cases in Broward and Palm Beach Counties
It should come as no surprise that swimming pools are commonplace across sunny Florida. As fun as they are, they also pose serious risks, and swimming pool accidents and drownings are highly common. According to the CDC, accidents are the 4th leading cause of death in America, with over 225,000 people dying every year in preventable mishaps. The CDC also reports that there are approximately 4,000 drownings every year – an average of 11 drowning deaths per day. Drowning is also the leading cause of death in children between the ages of 1 and 4. Florida law requires the owners of both residential and public pools to implement basic safety measures at their pools. If you or a loved one was involved in a swimming pool accident of any kind, the experienced Florida swimming pool accident lawyers at Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A. are here for you. Our drowning accident attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL will guide you through Florida’s comprehensive yet complex personal injury and accident laws and will provide you with valuable advice and reliable representation throughout the process.
Common Swimming Pool Accidents and Injuries Handled By Our Dedicated Drowning Accident Attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL
There are many ways a swimming pool accident can occur. Slips, falls, diving into shallow waters, and drowning are all very common in and around swimming pools. Even in non-fatal near-drowning accidents, the victim can suffer permanent physical disabilities due to oxygen deprivation. Spinal cord injuries, broken bones, lacerations, and more are also highly common around swimming pools.
With the proper swimming pool safety measures in place, pool owners and operators can significantly lower the likelihood of such accidents. Examples include the installation of pool covers, pool barriers, and exit alarms that can alert safety crews regarding the unsupervised access of pools by children. Doors and gates that automatically close and latch, non-slip surfaces, and ensuring clear visibility of the pool area are also important.
Pool owners and operators owe guests on their premises and their residents (in the case of, for example, hotels and apartment complexes with pools) a duty of care. FL Stat § 515.27 (2022) – the Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act – outlines what this duty entails, and it includes many of the preventive measures outlined above. Similar rules for public swimming facilities can be found in Title XXXIII, Chapter 514 of the 2012 Florida Statutes. A failure to meet these requirements – whether in the form of missing or inadequate safety measures, poor pool deck maintenance, a lack of emergency or hazard signage, or inadequate worker training can all provide grounds for a personal injury claim or civil suit against an at-fault swimming pool or swimming facility owner.
Our Florida Swimming Pool Accident Lawyers Will Determine Liability for Your Swimming Pool Accident
Our skilled drowning accident attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL will handle every aspect of your case, from initial evidence gathering to eyewitness interviews, obtaining maintenance records, accessing worker training files, and more. We will also quantify your damages and use expert testimony – if needed – to reconstruct the accident and determine who was at fault.
Since Florida is a comparative negligence state, if you were partly to blame for the accident, any potential settlement or compensation payout will be reduced in proportion to how much you were to blame for the accident. With years of experience handling personal injury cases of all kinds, specifically swimming pool and drowning accidents, our drowning accident attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL will help you maximize your chances of winning a full and fair settlement for your losses and damages.
Remember that the insurer of the swimming pool owner or operator will likely try to get away with paying as little as possible to settle your case if not outrightly denying your claim. They may blame you for the accident, fail to respond to your calls and emails, or resort to other tactics. Pushing through with your claim if you are injured or have to care for an injured loved one can be exceptionally difficult, so call our Florida swimming pool accident lawyers for assistance. With years of hands-on experience handling cases of all kinds, our drowning accident attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL can help you secure the compensation or settlement you deserve.
Contact Our Florida Swimming Pool Accident Lawyers Today For Assistance with Your Swimming Pool Accident or Injury Case
In most cases, you have two years within which to file a personal injury claim for injuries and losses sustained in an accident. However, if you delay, the at-fault party or their insurer may argue that your injuries were not serious enough to warrant a claim since, if they had been, you would have filed sooner. Contact our Florida swimming pool accident lawyers today to avoid common claim filing pitfalls and win the damages you are entitled to by law.
Frequently Asked Questions About Swimming Pool and Drowning Accidents in West Palm Beach, FL
As long as there is evidence that connects a certain expense, injury, or loss to your accident, you can include it in your claim. This means that everything from medical expenses, treatment costs, lost wages, pain, suffering, burial/funeral costs, and other accident-related damages can all be included in your claim.
In most cases, your personal injury lawsuit must be filed in the jurisdiction where the accident occurred. If you were injured in West Palm Beach, speak with our Florida swimming pool accident lawyers. As your go-to legal team, our drowning accident attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL will handle every aspect of your case, from determining who was at fault and identifying the relevant insurance policies to quantifying your losses and gathering the evidence needed to build a sound and compelling case.