Everyone wants to live in a community or a development with a pool. It’s the next best thing to having one in your own backyard. There’s nothing like spending a warm summer day sitting by or swimming in a pool, that is until something tragic happens. Stories of children drowning in community and HOA pools appear in the news all too frequently. Even when there’s a lifeguard on duty, or a set of rules to be followed, these deadly incidents still occur.
An Example from Texas
Recently, a young boy drowned in a community pool. The tragedy happened in Katy, Texas. Six-year-old Ga Ram Kan was swimming in an overcrowded pool with lifeguards on duty who managed to miss all of the signs of his distress. The boy was found floating face down in the pool, but sadly, it was too late to save him. His parents sued to owners of the development, Pulte Homes, stating that the lifeguards should have been better trained and that fewer people should have been allowed in the pool. Although nothing can bring their child back, the incident can bring attention to the hazards of these HOA and community pools.
Safety Procedures Are Lacking
Even if a pool has lifeguards on duty, they are often not properly trained. While there usually isn’t anything wrong with hiring local teenagers as lifeguards, the people in charge of the pools need to ensure that each lifeguard has proper life-saving training. They need to be able to swim strongly, perform CPR, and most importantly, recognize the signs of drowning so that they can act quickly when someone is in distress. Lifeguards are of critical importance, but only if they are properly trained and follow proper safety procedures. All too often lives are lost to accidental drowning. These deaths are absolutely preventable with the proper safety procedures in place nd skilled lifeguards on duty.
Rules Aren’t Enforced
In addition to a failing to follow safety procedures, many of the required rules aren’t enforced. For example, no running should occur near the pool, and the number of people in the water should be limited. Overcrowding and horseplay can result in tragedy very quickly. Furthermore, many community pools do not have a sufficient number of lifeguards on duty to oversee a crowded pool. Don’t risk your life or the lives of your children. If the pool is crowded, or you observe there aren’t enough lifeguards on duty, stay out of the water!
Have you lost a loved one due to a tragic pool-related accident? If so, contact me and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
