Texas enjoys some of the warmest year-round weather in the country. While our neighbors to the north shiver through the winter months we can often be found sipping ice tea by our pools. However, these cement oases hold hidden perils for children. Youth and swimming pools can be a deadly combination.
Let us offer some statistics that should serve as a caution to parents. The most unsettling of these is that drowning is the number two cause of death for children ages 1 to 14. If this is not frightening enough consider the fact that nearly 20% of these drowning happen at a public swimming site that is overseen by a certified public lifeguard.
Although we could reel off more numbers – ponder this final fact – adolescents between the ages of 15 and 24 have nearly the highest rate of drowning fatalities of all age demographics.
What is the number one deterrent to drowning deaths? Give your child swimming lessons at an early age. Children as early as three months are capable of learning how to swim and in recent years the training has become more sophisticated – teaching children not just swimming but also water survival. Once your child knows how to swim make sure they have the opportunity to practice regularly – this helps to prevent panic in an unusual water situation.
Finally, watch your own children – do not expect others (no matter how well trained or paid) to do this for you. No one has a greater vested interest in them than you.
Greg Baumgartner is a Houston personal injury attorney and the founder of the Baumgartner Law Firm, which is dedicated to helping families with wrongful death claims seek civil justice.
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