Swimming pool drowning takes two lives too early
As summer approaches and hot days spent playing in the water lie ahead, it is important to understand and follow New York's pool safety requirements to help protect against terrible drowning accidents.
April 26, 2013
In mid-April 2013, two young Long Island siblings tragically lost their lives after drowning in a neighbor's backyard pool. As summer approaches and hot days spent playing in the water lie ahead, it is important to understand and follow New York's pool safety requirements to help protect against terrible drowning accidents.Pool accident strikes Long Island
According to reports by News 12 Long Island and the New York Post, on the afternoon of April 14, 2013, a mother called the police to report that her two children, a 5-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter, were missing. In temperatures around 50 degrees, law enforcement officials searched their Central Islip neighborhood, and an officer saw a shoe floating in an uncovered above-ground pool in a neighbor's backyard. Officers then found the two siblings, fully clothed, in the pool and unresponsive. The children were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The pool is 4 feet deep and surrounded by a 6-foot-tall stockade fence that divides the families' backyards. Detective Sgt. Edward Fandrey, from the Suffolk County police homicide squad, told the New York Post and other news agencies that the slats of the fence are on the outside instead of the smooth side of the fence facing out, which makes it easier for one to climb over the fence and gain access to the pool. News 12 Long Island reports that the pool owner has been cited for improperly installing the fence and failing to properly maintain it.
New York pool safety requirements
In New York, pool owners must comply with several pool safety requirements in the Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code. For example, all outdoor residential swimming pools must be completely surrounded by a barrier or fence at least 4 feet high. In addition, all pools that do not have an automatic power safety cover must have an approved alarm that is capable of detecting someone entering the water and is audible by the pool and at another place on the premises.
If a pool owner fails to take these precautions or is negligent in another manner and a drowning or pool accident occurs, the owner may be sued in a premises liability or wrongful death lawsuit. Through the lawsuit, the victim or the victim's family may be able to obtain compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills, lost income and other damages resulting from the accident.
If you or a loved one has suffered harm in a swimming pool accident, contact a knowledgeable personal injury attorney to pursue your legal options for recovery.
Article provided by The Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe LLP
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