Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer - drowning

Mother And Child Drown in Jacksonville Pool

Eddie Farah — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:07:47 GMT

There are many questions surrounding the drowning death of a young mother and her baby in an Arlington community pool on Wednesday.

Tiffany Sue Cecconi, 18, and her 18-month-old daughter, Kaylani, were found just after noon in a subdivision pool. The pool area is usually locked. Tiffany was said to be an accomplished swimmer. An unidentified 18-year-old man was found at the scene and hospitalized. He had reportedly ingested a great deal of chlorinated pool water. Investigators will be anxious to talk to him to determine if there was any foul play.

Our condolences and hearts go out to the family of this beautiful young mother and her child. What a tragedy unfolded to lose two such special people.

Neighbors wonder if a lightning strike might have hit the pool as area thunderstorms were occurring. We also understand that the pool was occasionally locked and wonder if there might have been undisclosed dangers around or in the pool area. Also neighbors report that kids break through the locked gates often and swim unsupervised as the pool doesn’t have a lifeguard.

Florida law says the property owner is responsible for any injuries you receive while on his/her property more than 90% of the time. Whether you were an “invitee,” a “licensee” or even a “trespasser,” the property owner generally will have some (if not all) responsibility for any injury you receive while on the property.

Florida has the highest unintentional drowning deaths in the nation for children between the ages of one to four and the third for other ages in the nation. In 2006, there were 72 drowning deaths of children under the age of four and Duval County is among the counties with the highest number of drowning deaths, according to the state department of health.

All of the pieces will be put together here eventually, but in the meantime all we do know is that there were two tragic losses Wednesday. Again, our condolences to the family and friends of Tiffany and Kaylani. #

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Three-Year-Old Dies In Lake City Pool As Swim Season Begins

Eddie Farah — Thu, 21 May 2009 18:29:42 GMT

A three-year-old child drowned Sunday afternoon, May 17, in a swimming pool in the back yard of a home in Lake City. He was scooped from the pool and taken to a local hospital where was pronounced dead. The Columbia County Sheriff’s office calls it a tragic accident.

We are sorry for the loss this family must be feeling now and forever.

And now with the Memorial Day holiday here, a federal report by theConsumer Product Safety Commission says nearly 300 children under the age of 5, drown in pools and spas each year. About 3,000 young children suffer injuries related to the pool or spa that require a trip to the emergency room.

Spas and pools are particularly treacherous for toddlers under the age of two, with the majority of drownings occurring in back yard pools and spas.

Florida’s Congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who has taken a lead in this issue, held a news conference with Safe Kids USA to urge home pool owners to check the fencing in place to keep youngsters from gaining access to pool areas. Self-closing, self-latching gates prevent kids from entering a pool area. Alarms alert an adult if someone enters the pool area or even the pool accidentally. Some kids even get out by a pet door- so consider that an area to watch.

Newer and safer drain covers prevent entrapment, where children are sucked into the drain with enough force that even and adult would have trouble breaking free.

Virginia Graeme Baker died that way, and it is for her that the Pool and Spa Safety Act has been funded this year. It requires all public pools and spas to have anti-entrapment drain covers and additional systems to prevent entrapment. The state departments of health are enforcing the law.

If you have any questions about what is required visit the CPSC web site www.PoolSafety.gov.

It doesn’t take but a minute for a child to slip out of sight and drown. Let’s have a summer in Florida without any more of these unfortunate reports. #

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

New Pool Drain Covers Mandated Nationwide By Friday

Eddie Farah — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:19:52 GMT

Beginning Saturday, pools and spas that do not have the required anti-drowning drain covers could be forced to close down. The improved safety system was passed by Congress last year and pool and spa owners had a year to comply.

The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act is aimed at keeping kids safer.

She was the 7-year-old granddaughter of former Secretary of State James A. Baker. Graeme, as she was called, was sucked into a spa drain in 2002. Despite a number of adults trying to pull her off, the suction kept her under and she drowned.

Her mother, Nancy Baker says at least the lives of other children can be saved. "This legislation helps give meaning to the tragic circumstances that took her life and the lives of many other children,” Baker said. “It is a tribute to these children and their grieving families that this bill will prevent injuries and death as a result of drowning. Graeme would be honored."

Most adults don’t realize that the bottom of a pool and spa is a hidden hazard for children. At least one person dies each year because of the 400 to 500 pounds of forceful suction of a flat drain in a single-drain pool.

Safe Kids Worldwide , a nonprofit group estimates that 33 kids died in Americans swimming pools under the age of 14 between 1985 and 2004. Drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental injury-related death among children ages 1-14.

The replacement will be a domed shape drain that minimizes the pull in a single area. However the Consumer Product Safety Commission had expected Congress to issue $7 million for enforcement. Since that hasn’t happened, the feds will be relying on the states to make sure pools are in compliance.

The National Swimming Pool Foundation, estimates that about 80 percent of public pools are spas are not in compliance and may have to close.

It’s not cheap to install the new drain covers – from at least $1,000 to $15,000 to install multiple drains, or no drains at all. That won’t matter. The CPSC plans to crack down on violators. The legislation also bans the manufacture, sale or distribution of drain covers that don’t meet the anti-entrapment standards and requires public pools to have additional layers of protection.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., was a champion of the legislation in Congress, but the industry fought her earlier efforts.

The industry has known for a long time they were putting out a dangerous product. Common sense would dictate that a drain cover with suction strong enough to hold down an adult, gives children no fighting chance at all. No child should have ever lost their life to this dangerous and defective product design. #

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah