Swimming Pool Drowning a Summer Danger in Knoxville, Maryville

Pool season brings a high risk of Tennessee drowning and pool accidents.

Now that spring has arrived, the temperatures will be heating up enough to start jumping in the pool for a swim. Adults are reminded to make sure your kids are under constant supervision in order to prevent a swimming pool accident in Knoxville, Maryville or elsewhere in Tennessee.

Recently, a babysitter was watching over the son of a well-known trucking entertainer when a pool accident occurred. The Tennessean reports the three-year-old boy fell in the pool and almost drowned under the babysitter’s watch. The boy still showed signs of life when he was discovered in the pool so he was LifeFlighted by helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Nine days following the fall into the pool the young boy died after being removed from the ventilator. No charges have been filed against the babysitter to date as the incident was considered an accident.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report children are at a high risk of drowning accidents. In 2007, it was reported that over 20 percent of drowning victims were children ages 14 and under. For every five children involved in a pool accident, an average ratio of 1 drowns and 4 have to go to the hospital for nonfatal submersion injuries. Submersion injuries can lead to a permanent vegetative state, learning disabilities, memory problems or long term disabilities caused by brain damage.

Some parts of the state are being proactive in an attempt to minimize drowning and pool accidents this year. WBIR reports the passing of Katie Beth’s Law which took effect on January 1st, 2011. The new law requires any homeowner in East Tennessee who has a pool on their property to install a pool alarm.

Building permits will not be handed out by local governments unless the contractor specifically states a pool alarm will be installed. Electrical inspectors will only give a seal of approval to installations that have a functioning pool alarm. Pool companies are required to post signs in their place of business alerting customers about the new law. Katie Beth, the great grand-daughter of State Senator Charlotte Burks, drowned back in 2009 in a Cookeville swimming pool.

The CDC offers the following MUST DO tips to prevent drowning or pool accidents this summer:

– Learn how to swim by taking lessons and becoming comfortable in the water.

-Kids should have a buddy system when playing in the pool. Never allow a young child to swim alone unless a constant eye is kept on them at all times.

-Never use air-filled or foam toys in replacement of a life vest. These are meant as toys, not to save lives.

-Adults should know CPR, especially if you have kids swimming in your residential pool.

-Install a four-sided fence around the pool area only.

-Have a pool company install a pool alarm at the time they open the pool for the season.

If your or a loved one has been involved in a drowning or pool-related accident in Knoxville or Blount County, contact Hartsoe Law Firm, P.C. Call for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights at (865) 804-1011.