Nicer Weather Means Increase In Swimming-Related Accidents.
Posted on Jun 17, 2013 8:47am PDT
Summer is officially here in Ohio and as the weather continues heating
up, people are beginning to frequent their local lakes and pools to cool
down. Swimming is a fun and relaxing way to spend a hot day, however,
it can also pose a number of safety risks that should be given consideration.
According to a study done by the American Academy of Pediatrics, with
more than 1,000 children drowning each year, it is the second leading
cause of death in the United States among children ages 1 to 19.
As this blog has previously
mentioned, owners of property, including pool and lake owners, owe certain duties
to guests of their property. This obligation is referred to as
premises liability, which is a theory of law that imposes a legal duty upon owners of certain
premises to maintain that property in reasonably safe condition.
The nature of the duty owed by a property owner depends on the relationship
between the owner and the individual who enters onto the property. These
individuals are classified into three groups: (1) invitee (a person that
enters onto the premises for business purposes or for the benefit of the
owner); (2) licensee (a person that enters onto the premises fir social
purposes); or (3) trespasser (a person that does not have permission to
enter onto the premises).
If a lake or pool is being operated by a company or individual as a business
for profit, then the patrons of the premises will be considered invitees.
This means that the owner owes these invitees a duty to guarantee that
the premises are not afflicted with any dangerous condition(s) that the
owner knows about or should know about. These owners also have a duty
to inspect their premises on a regular basis in order to discover potentially
dangerous conditions.
The lawyers of
DiCaudo, Pitchford & Yoder have successfully represented people injured by negligently maintained
or supervised pools and lakes across Ohio. If you have been injured due
to someone else's negligence,
contact the experienced attorneys of
DiCaudo, Pitchford & Yoder today.