North County San Diego Injury Lawyers
Nobody wants to think about the risks of a drowning accident when enjoying time at the beach, or a California vacation to a resort with a swimming pool or to the home of a family or friend with a swimming pool in the backyard. Yet drowning accidents are more common than you think, especially when younger children are left unattended or when alcohol is involved. If you or somebody you love suffered serious or fatal injuries in a drowning accident caused by someone else’s negligence, it is important to find out more about filing a claim for compensation by speaking with a personal injury lawyer in San Marcos. In the meantime, the following are five things to know about drowning accidents in San Diego County.
- Thousands of People Drown in the U.S. Every Year
Every year in the U.S. alone, thousands of people die in drowning accidents. Indeed, according to the United States Swim School Association, anywhere from 3,500 to 4,000 people die on average each year because of avoidable drowning accidents, and children between the ages of 1 and 4 are killed most often in accidental drownings. Nearly 90% of those young child deaths occur in pools or hot tubs.
- Many Prevention Strategies Exist to Avoid a Drowning Accident
There are many tips you can consider to avoid a drowning accident, including learning life-saving skills, learning how to swim, setting up barriers around home pools (or ensuring that pools nearby have barriers), wearing a life jacket on the open water, and watching children in pools and at the beach at all times.
- Multiple Parties Could be Liable for a Drowning Accident
Depending upon how and where a drowning accident occurred, multiple parties could be liable, from a homeowner with a pool to a hotel where the drowning accident occurred to a child caregiver who failed to properly watch a child.
- Drowning Claims May be Filed as Premises Liability Lawsuits
Many drowning accident lawsuits are filed as premises liability claims in which the injured party holds a property owner responsible for injuries. Homeowners with pools, as well as businesses with pools such as hotels and resorts, must ensure that their premises are reasonably safe. Otherwise, they can face liability for drowning accidents and other injuries.
- You Will Need to File Your Drowning Accident Claim Before the Statute of Limitations Runs Out
If you plan to file a drowning accident lawsuit, either a personal injury claim if you suffered a near-drowning yourself or if you lost a loved one and want to find out about moving forward with a wrongful death claim, you will need to make sure the lawsuit is filed before the statute of limitations runs out. Under California law, most personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years from the date of the injury, while most wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within two years from the date of death.
Contact Our San Marcos Drowning Accident Attorneys
If you were injured in a near drowning, or if you lost a child or another loved one in a drowning accident caused by another party’s negligence, it is important to find out more about seeking financial compensation for your injuries. Do not hesitate to get in touch with our firm to find out more about filing a claim against an individual or a business owner in Southern California. An experienced San Marcos personal injury lawyer at our firm can assist you. Contact the Walton Law Firm to get started on your case.
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