The Best Swimming Pool Accident Lawyer in Miami

A swimming pool accident lawyer can help you after you or a loved one is hurt or worse at a pool. Calling a qualified attorney for assistance makes a big difference in any settlement and your chances of winning your personal injury case should it go to court.

Swimming pools are something millions of Americans enjoy every year. For most people, playing at the neighborhood pool after school or on the weekends is some of our best memories. Pools make up a big part of our childhoods.

If you were lucky enough to have a friend with a pool, then you could swim, even more, spending afternoons after school jumping and playing.

Here in Florida, we’re a bit spoiled. Pools are open all year, and they seem to be everywhere.

Owning and operating a pool is a huge draw for hotels, clubs, schools, and other facilities. But what happens when something goes wrong at a pool and someone is seriously hurt? What then?

Pools are fun can be very dangerous. They need a lot of maintenance to keep them safe, and under the right circumstances, people get seriously injured. Every year thousands of people die in pool drownings across the country. This is most often the case with children.

When something devastating like a neck injury or a drowning happens at a pool, who is responsible? A swimming pool accident lawyer can guide you after an injury to help you get the compensation you deserve to handle medical and other costs.

Contacting a Swimming Pool Accident Lawyer After an Injury

People generally know to exercise caution whenever they are in or around a pool. Children are of particular concern because they don’t know that they can’t swim. They may just jump or fall right into the pool, and if no one is looking, they drown.

Whether the injured person is a child or an adult, the results are often devastating. People go to the emergency room all the time after a pool injury.

Dealing with the immediate medical situation is a must, but contacting a swimming pool accident lawyer should be next on your list.

Getting the right legal assistance is crucial to protecting yourself and your family from a pool-related injury. We’ll explain how in a moment.

How People Get Hurt at Pools

Injuries at the pool are very common. You may think it’s annoying every time a lifeguard blows their whistle and tells you to stop doing something, but they do it out of an abundance of caution. They’ve seen what can happen.

If you run too fast on slippery surfaces, stay underwater for too long, become entrapped in a pool drain, or fail to adhere to pool rules, the circumstance can be dire.

Here are some of the most common pool injuries we see in Florida.

Neck & spine injuries from diving in shallow water

Pools usually have a deep end and a shallow end. The majority of pools (all pools should do this) clearly mark the shallow end and emphasize that no head-first diving is allowed.

If you jump into shallow water, it’s easy to smash into the hard bottom of the pool. That high-speed impact causes brain, neck, or spine trauma. Every year, people become paralyzed because they dove into the shallow end of the pool.  Some pools are deceptive and it may seem like the pool is deep enough to dive when it may not be.

Near Drownings

Drownings are horrible, but near-drownings are devastating as well. Near drownings involve people who typically swallow a great deal of water as they struggle to get back to the surface. That water fills the lungs and this can be lethal long after they are out of the pool.  A lack of oxygen can cause permanent brain damage, so time is truly of the essence when someone is drowning.

Disembowelment

If you’ve ever been in a pool, you’ve likely noticed the drain and filter areas have pretty good suction. People like to sit on them for fun. Believe it or not, the suction force can become so strong that it disembowels you. As a result, pools have strict rules on barriers to drains and filters.  A properly maintained pool should not allow that to happen but in many pools the maintenance is lax or ignored.

Electrocution

Hotel pools and resorts you swim in Florida have lighting systems underwater for night swimming. Without the proper maintenance, a loose wire can electrocute swimmers and hurt or kill them.

Collisions with Other Swimmers

There are capacity rules for pools outlining how many people are allowed in the pool and around the pool area. When the number of people in a pool exceeds the capacity limits, people are in close contact, and people are hurt when someone jumps on the pool or without paying attention to what’s around them.

These are just some of the common injuries that happen at pools all the time. If you or someone you know gets hurt at a pool, contact an experienced swimming pool accident lawyer in Miami.

Swimming Pool Personal Injury Cases

It’s everyone’s responsibility to take care in and around pools. Sometimes, though, pools are full of hazards, and owners fail in their duty of care toward guests or customers.

A lot of pool injuries happen because the floor was wet or the locker room was too slippery. Other times, people are hurt because there were no posted warning signs.

Likewise, if a pool’s owner fails to maintain the pool, hazards increase the risk of injury to anyone swimming or in the pool area.

Many children suffer brain damage or death from falling into pools because there were inadequate gates or pool fences.  Most cities have laws requiring pool owners to have barriers to prevent children from entering the pool area. Many cases involve defective gate latches or pool fences which allow children access they should not have.

Pool injury victims who get hurt because of negligence deserve compensation for injuries. Accidents at pools happen quickly, and people must deal with the long-term impact of broken bones, brain injuries, paralysis, and death.

Finding an expert swimming pool accident lawyer is the first step in holding those liable responsible for what happened.

A Swimming Pool Accident Lawyer Will Help You Pursue a Personal Injury Case

Thousands of people drown in swimming pools across the country every year. Even more than that are seriously hurt. This isn’t a tiny number of people. That’s why pools are typically so strict when it comes to maintenance and following the rules.

If you or someone you know is hurt at a pool because someone else failed in their duties, you can pursue a personal injury case to seek damages. Here are some of the steps you will need to follow with the help of your swimming pool accident lawyer.

Step 1 – Assigning Liability

Who is responsible for what happened? What companies or individuals had a duty of care? Who was negligent?

Your lawyer will assess what happened and assign liability in your case. Then, they’ll start building evidence against them based on the events.

Step 2 – Investigating and Preparing the Case

Prompt action is required to preserve evidence and identify witnesses who may disappear after the event.  Memories fade quickly.  Surveillance video is recorded over within days or weeks.  A skilled swimming pool accident attorney will have the investigative resources to identify what evidence is available, obtain it, get witness statements, determine if there were code or ordinance violations, and work with top notch pool safety and aquatic experts.  If necessary, a lawsuit may be filed on your behalf to seek full recovery for you or your family.

Step 3 – Negotiating a Fair Settlement

In a lot of pool injury cases, liability is quite clear. The offending parties know they are at fault, and would rather not go to court. Pool injury cases are settled out of court fairly frequently. Negotiating a fair settlement is crucial to getting the financial support you need after an injury. It will help pay for medical bills and the long-term effects after the incident. But the key to obtaining a full and fair settlement is in the skill, reputation, investigation and preparation by the swimming pool accident lawyer.

An experienced swimming pool accident lawyer will know when a settlement offer is fair. They will be aggressive and seek to maximize your recovery.  They’ll tell you whether the offer is something you should take or reject.

Step 4 – Going to Court

If settlement negotiations fail (and it happens). Then you must be ready to go to court to fight for the damages you deserve. Finding an experienced trial lawyer who is skilled and  willing to fight in court is vital to your case.

Dealing with the Effects of a Swimming Pool Injury

If someone slips and breaks a wrist bone, it’s a serious injury. However, they’ll likely recover and return to normal life. What happens when someone loses the use of their legs because they dove into a shallow area with no posted warnings or the water levels were lower than advertised?

The effects of a swimming pool accident can last a lifetime. In severe incidents, people die.

There are medical costs to pay, long-term rehabilitation, and lost income. How can someone return to work quickly after suffering a traumatic brain injury?

A good pool accident lawyer knows what your long-term costs will be. They’ll assign a dollar figure for how much responsible parties should pay. They can also direct you to medical professionals who specialize in dealing with your type of injury.

The legal experts at Leighton Panoff Law know the devastation of pool injuries. We represent pool injury victims in Florida regularly, and we know how to win you compensation to pay for costs associated with your injuries.  Our experience in ResortTorts and vacation injuries spans the country and involves all types of water sports and recreational injuries.

For a free, no-obligation consultation with a seasoned swimming pool accident lawyer, contact us today. We’ll tell you if you have a case and what your next steps should be.