Drowning Tragedy

In the wake of the tragic drowning of a 2-year-old girl in Lichtfield Park, it’s time to look at water safety in a legal context. Losing a loved one in a drowning accident can be a horrendous ordeal, but it is important to understand key aspects of the incident in order to settle any legal issues and begin the healing process.

First, understand that any entity, individual or organization, that possesses a swimming pool, has a legal responsibility to maintain a certain level of pool safety. The walls of the Paradise Valley pool are lined with notices – “lifeguard on duty”, “no running”, “no diving allowed”, etc. Individuals that own pools at their residences also have a responsibility to provide a safe place to swim. These measures are in place to ensure safety, as well as to prevent liability in case of an accident.

Liability for injury occurs if a drowning accident or any other swimming-related injury occurs. If the swimming pool was not staffed by on-duty lifeguards, or if the lifeguard was reckless in his or her actions and failed to prevent a drowning, the owner can be held liable for this accident. Liability can also be placed on a reckless swimmer if they forcefully caused an individual to drown. A drowning can also be the result of negligence of an individual that failed to provide supervision for a child in a pool.

If you or a loved one has sustained an injury at a pool, or if someone you know has drowned, there are a few steps you should take immediately. Try to gather any evidence possible from the situation in which the accident occurred. This includes people present at the time, the safety regulations put in place, and anything else that might be pertinent to a pending investigation.

Along with writing down all of this information, bring a camera along with you to take pictures of the scene of the accident. These can be used during a case as evidence against the person who assumes liability. Try to revisit the scene as soon as possible after the injury or drowning has occurred.

Also, if there are any non-working products or pieces of equipment at the scene, try to gather them and keep them in your possession. These can be used by an attorney at the offices of Michael Cordova as key evidence in your case. If anything has been removed from the area, attempt to get ahold of it so that no piece of evidence goes unnoticed.

This is a lot to handle in this time of grief, but don’t worry – turn to the law offices of Michael Cordova, where we specialize in wrongful death cases and can sort out the issue of legal liability in the death of your loved one. We will quickly and aggressively fight for you to ensure that the reckless actions of others don’t go unpunished. Call the offices of Michael Cordova today – we’re here to help you seek justice and keep your head above water.