In Las Vegas, swimming pools provide great respite from the desert heat. However, pools can also be risky, particularly when neglect is involved. Negligence can cause a drowning accident that kills someone or causes someone to come dangerously close to drowning.
Numerous young children are among the hundreds of victims each year in swimming pool accidents. According to a new study, drowning is one of the most frequent causes of mortality for kids between the ages of one and four. While lakes and seas might appear to be where drownings happen most frequently, the truth is that swimming pools often witness more drownings than any other location.
Accidents in pools, even non-fatal ones, can have dire, permanently damaging effects. Legal liability often rests with a party other than the victim in many situations. The drowning victim may occasionally pull through despite suffering injuries that may leave them permanently disabled.
You might be entitled to bring a case if you or a family member drowned in a pool in Las Vegas or another body of water, resulting in injury or death. This blog will walk you through the steps you must take after a drowning or near-drowning incident in Vegas.
Understand How Nevada Defines Drowning and How to Pursue a Drowning Lawsuit in the State
According to Nevada law, “drowning” is defined as suffocation and death by the lungs filled with water or another substance. In the United States, drowning is the fifth most common reason for unintentional injury deaths.
Many drowning deaths are tragic accidents for which only bad luck or inadequate swimming ability may be held responsible. However, some drowning incidents happen due to someone else’s negligence.
A property owner or operator may be careless for several reasons, including but not limited to the following:
- Untrained or careless lifeguards;
- Poor pool maintenance;
- Dangerous property circumstances (such as unstable concrete); and
- Failure to call 9-1-1 or provide sufficient first aid following a drowning.
If any of these circumstances arise, the pool owner may be liable in Las Vegas, NV, for injuries or “wrongful death” due to failure to uphold their legal obligation to maintain the pool secure.
In drowning cases when another individual physically contributed to the drowning through deliberate or careless behavior, wrongful death lawsuits are also viable. The victim’s relatives may be eligible for compensation even when some other swimmer is at fault in Nevada.
How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help In a Drowning or Near-Drowning Case in Vegas?
A personal injury or wrongful death litigation may be brought when a victim is injured or dies in a swimming incident to seek financial compensation from the property owner or other party at fault. If the occurrence occurred in a public pool, this could apply to both property owners and even landlords with private pools.
A lawsuit filed after a pool accident may seek the following damages:
- Bills for medical care;
- Discomfort and suffering;
- Counseling
- Lost wages or diminished earning ability;
- Loss of companionship or wrongful death.
- Occupational or physical therapy;
You can get assistance from the knowledgeable and sympathetic drowning accident lawyers at the Bourassa Law Group in determining who is to blame for a drowning or near-drowning incident in Las Vegas. Pool owners must ensure that their pools are fit for use, and if (and when) an accident happens, failing to do so may give rise to legal action. Call us at (800)870-8910 for a free consultation!
1-800-870-8910