Nicholas Norman, 5, died in a swimming pool accident in a backyard pool the night of June 20, 2010. According to a 10news report, Nicholas was found floating face-down in the pool behind a next-door neighbor's home on Loma Alta Drive in San Diego. Police officials said he was pronounced dead in a La Mesa hospital shortly after he was found. An investigation is ongoing.
I offer my deepest condolences to the parents of Nicholas Norman. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this little boy whose 6th birthday was just around the corner. Tragic! Please keep this grieving family in your thoughts and prayers.
Swimming Pool Accidents
Fatal swimming pool accidents, especially those involving young children, are all too common in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that nationally more than one in four fatal drowning victims are children 14 and younger and for every child who dies from drowning, another four were treated for submersion injuries. The CDC also found 30 percent of the children 1 to 4 years old who died in 2005, died by drowning. Many suffer catastrophic injuries as well.
Causes and Liability Issues
In this particular case, it is not clear how or why the drowning occurred. The article states that the boy was found in the neighbor's pool. There are a number of unanswered questions here. Was the boy playing at the neighbor's house? Who was watching him at the time? Was he unsupervised? Was he alone at the time? I trust officials are looking into these and other issues in order to determine the cause of the accident.
Usually in such cases, the individuals or caregivers responsible for watching the child at the time could be held liable. If a child visits your house and drowns in your pool, you could be held liable. This is just the start of summer and we've already had about a dozen drowning incidents and near drowning incidents in Southern California.
If your child has been injured in a swimming pool accident, please seek the counsel of an experienced San Diego personal injury lawyer to get more information about your legal rights and options. In cases where a child has suffered major injuries in a near-drowning incident, the child's parents can seek compensation from the responsible party for medical expenses, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation and other related damages. In fatal cases where negligence or wrongdoing is involved, a wrongful death claim may be filed.
What precautions do you take at home or when you attend a pool party to avoid a swimming pool accident?
The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.
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