May 11, 2010

Illinois lawsuit alleges lifeguard negligence in drowning wrongful death

The St. Clair Record reported that a recently filed Illinois wrongful death lawsuit alleges that the man died while swimming in a crowded Madison County Illinois lake after a lifeguard failed to provide him adequate assistance. In fact, the Illinois negligence lawsuit further contends that the lifeguard was allegedly talking and texting on her cell phone at the time of the incident.

The special administrator of the deceased man’s estate reported that the 45 year-old man visited Holiday Shores in July with his family. He decided to enjoy a swim in a designated beach area located in Edwardsville, Illinois. He was not alone – a number of other guests had also decided to swim in the same area that day. The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that the club should have had two lifeguards on duty because of the significant number of guests, instead of only one.

The Illinois drowning lawsuit also states that the 45 year-old decedent was swimming in the lake and began coughing and needing assistance. Friends and witnesses yelled and requested help, but the lifeguard did not reply in a timely fashion. The lifeguard had been on her cell phone throughout the day and was using her celphone at the time the incident occurred. Because of the lifeguard’s negligence, the lawsuit alleges, the victim’s deceased body was not discovered for more than one hour! The Illinois wrongful death lawsuit seeks a judgment of more than $150,000.

Click here to read more about the Illinois drowning lawsuit.

December 27, 2009

Lack of rescue equipment cited in Illinois pool drowning

The Daily Herald recently reported on a tragic Illinois drowning case. The mother of a pool drowning victim who died in a swimming pool at the Illinois Pheasant Run Resort and Spa in 2007 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the resort. The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that a lack of required safety and rescue equipment contributed to the drowning victim’s death. Nearly two years ago, the 21 year-old victim drowned while swimming in the resort’s indoor-outdoor pools. The Illinois wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Kane County Circuit Court.

Continue reading "Lack of rescue equipment cited in Illinois pool drowning" »

December 3, 2009

Cook County jury awards a gross verdict of $8.1 million to victim of swimming pool accident

A Cook County jury has granted an $8.1 million award to a 22 year-old man who dove into a swimming pool and was rendered an incomplete quadriplegic. This is the highest pool-related accident verdict in Illinois.

Continue reading "Cook County jury awards a gross verdict of $8.1 million to victim of swimming pool accident " »

September 16, 2009

Family awarded $3.8 million in pool lawsuit

A jury returned a $3.8 million pool lawsuit verdict last week against a hotel in a lawsuit filed by the family of a 19-year old football player. The 19 year-old suffered severe personal injuries that resulted in his wrongful death two years ago while swimming in the hotel’s pool.

To read more about the $3.8 million pool lawsuit award.

July 7, 2009

Your swimming pool filter could be dangerous

With summer in full force, many Chicago residents are spending time in their pools to cool off. However, practice safety when swimming and enjoying the summer pools! Recently, Levin & Perconti blogged about how most the country’s pools are not in compliance with current safety standards. Now, more incidents of product liability have arisen regarding pool filter explosions. The pool filter system has to be cleaned about twice a month, re-pressurizing gets tricky, though. If there is too much air, explosion can occur and the lid can blow up.

To read more about the swimming pool filter dangers.

June 27, 2009

Wife crusades against pool filters that killed husband

Almost three years ago, a wrongful death victim died days after he was critically injured when his pool’s two-piece, kettle style pool filter exploded and struck him in the head. Now his wife is focused on spreading the word about the potential danger of certain pool filters. Incidents tracked by the Consumer Product Safety Commission has shown that there have been at least 22 similar product incidents reported since 1982, including four wrongful deaths.

To read more about the pool filter wrongful deaths.

May 26, 2009

CSPC announces new child drownings report

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently provided updated figures on child drowning deaths and injuries in pools and spas. Nearly 300 children younger than 5 drown in pools and spas yearly and 3,000 suffer pool-related personal injuries. About 80% of the drowning fatalities occurring in residential settings, such as the home, or a friend’s home.

Levin & Perconti has blogged quite heavily on child drowning issues, especially as summer approaches. For safety tips, click here.

To read more about the CSPC drownings report.

April 30, 2009

Jury awards $14 million to family of drowning victim

A jury awarded the family of a 4 year-old drowning victim nearly $14 million in damages this week. The personal injury victim drowned on the first day of summer camp almost four years ago. Ten of the eleven defendants accused of negligence in the personal injury lawsuit admitted that they had been negligent.

To read more about the drowning lawsuit.

April 14, 2009

Beware of silent killer: drowning

With summer fast approaching and more tales of drowning coming up daily, we at Levin & Perconti thought that this Arizona Daily Star article was timely. Drowning is often referred to as the “silent killer” because there is usually no cry for help and very little commotion. Please keep toys away from pools and fence in any hot tubs or pools.

To read more safety tips to avoid drowning.

April 13, 2009

Toddler drowns in hot tub

In another tragic drowning story, a two-year old girl drowned over the weekend in her family’s hot tub. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. If you have a pool or hot tub, the attorneys at Levin & Perconti urge you to review these tips for water safety.

To read more about the toddler’s drowning.

April 12, 2009

How to prevent child drowning

In light of the recent child drowning that Levin & Perconti blogged about, this Mayo Clinic article on childhood safety is entirely appropriate. When having a residential swimming pool, you can attempt to prevent personal injuries by fencing it in, installing alarms, blocking pool and hot tub access, teaching children to swim, removing toys, keeping your eyes peeled, and being wary of drains. The article also offers tips on avoiding drowning dangers in natural bodies of water and toilets, bathtubs, and buckets.

To read more about the child safety tips.

April 10, 2009

4 year-old boy drowns in pool

A four-year old boy who climbed over a fence guarding the family pool has died. The boy and his five-year old sister scaled the fence and got into the pool. The boy began to drown and has since died.

Levin & Perconti wish to remind everyone, especially as summer approaches, to be mindful and responsible when near pools to avoid injuries.

To read more about the 4 year-old drowning.

March 25, 2009

Are pool drains safe for kids yet?

With summer fast approaching, we at Levin & Perconti are concerned whether pool drains are safe for kids yet. Last summer, numerous reports surfaced that public pools lacked the proper product safety. A recent AP article addressed that nearly three months after a federal deadline to make public swimming pools safer, many have yet to be fitted with equipment aimed at preventing product liability and keeping children safe from powerful and sometimes deadly suction of drains.

To read more about the pool drain safety issues.

July 22, 2008

Pool Company Maybe to Blame in Drowning

A swimming pool company president has been charged with second degree murder for the drowning death of a 6-year-old child. The boy was in the pool when his arm became trapped by the suction on the drain pump. The Shoreline Pools President allegedly recklessly caused the death after failing to have Shoreline install mandatory safety devices when the company built the pool for the child’s family. Police claim that those safety devices would have prevented the accident. In that past 23 years, more than 150 people have been injured or died as a result of pool drain entrapments. Read more here.

July 2, 2008

Drowning in Woodstock

A landscaper from Illinois died this week after drowning in a pond. The man, Hugo Mercado, 23, was working at Well Manufacturing in Woodstock, Illinois when he apparently fell in a pond on the property. At 4:45 p.m. on Monday, police and paramedics were called to the location and found his body floating face down in the pond. Mercado was known to have had a seizure disorder, but it is not clear whether that played a role in his drowning. While Mercado was working in the yard and fell into a pond, summer time may entail increased numbers of drownings as pools are used more frequently. To read more about Mercado’s death, click here.

February 10, 2008

$4 million wrongful death verdict to parents of child who drowned in swimming pool

In a recent wrongful death lawsuit, a jury awarded over $4 million to the family of a boy that drowned in a country club pool. The pool management company was found negligent for failing to adequately staff the pool and train lifeguards properly. The couple could appeal because their state caps wrongful death cases at $1.3 million so the pain and suffering of their 5-year-old son was dismissed. Parents are often forced to fight for justice for their children when they are injured, and swimming pool related injuries are one of the most common types.

Click here for the full article