Item: Flaxman Law Group
Rating: 5
Author: Clara Barman

Keep Kids Safe in the Pool During Hollywood and Florida Summers

Published on: July 17, 2019 | By Flaxman Law Group

In Hollywood and Florida, pools are a big part of summertime. From community pools to pools in our backyards, water is a big part of staying cool, staying active, and enjoying the sunshine of southern Florida. While splashing around and having a swim is great exercise and can be lots of fun, pools do pose a considerable risk, especially for children. Children have a fascination with water and have less developed swimming skills, which can make them especially prone to pool injuries and drownings.

For homeowners, too, pools can mean Hollywood premises liability claims, injuries to neighboring children, trespassing, and other worries. Fortunately, there are several ways you can keep your pool and your children safe:

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Inflatable Pool Safety in Hollywood and Florida

Published on: July 11, 2019 | By Flaxman Law Group

Inflatable pools are a popular choice for many families. They are small enough to fit into many yards and do not come with the larger installation costs of in-ground pools. Inflatable pools range from large pools which are closer to in-ground versions to shallow kiddie pools.

While these swimming options can be a fun way to swim in your Hollywood home, however, they are not without risks. Many pool drownings and injuries in Hollywood and across Florida are linked to inflatable swimming pools. In fact, across the country, one child sustains a fatal injury in an inflatable pool on average every five days during the summer season.

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Public Pool Safety

Published on: July 13, 2018 | By Flaxman Law Group

Pools are a great way to enjoy some recreation and get low-impact exercise. If you don’t have your own pool in your Hollywood or South Florida home, you may be able to use a public pool. Public pools in recreation centers, condo buildings and other public spaces, however, come with their own risks.

Here’s how to avoid injuries when using Hollywood and South Florida public pools this summer:

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Swimming Pool Safety in Hollywood and Florida

Published on: July 5, 2017 | By Flaxman Law Group

At this time of year, Hollywood and South Florida pools are in high demand. If you have your own swimming pool at home, there are many things you can do to ensure swimming pool safety for yourself and your guests:

1) Secure the pool area.

Swimming pool areas pose a significant liability risk for homeowners. If you own a swimming pool, you need to take steps to ensure no child or person accidentally falls in and suffers an injury. Children, especially, can be drawn to swimming pools and can easily sustain serious childhood injuries at your Hollywood home if the area is not safe. Always place a tall fence around the pool area and secure it with a self-locking gate. Where possible, install an alarm system which will let you know if anyone enters your property without your knowledge.

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Keeping Your Pool Safe is One of the Most Important Things to Do for Your Child’s Safety

Published on: January 12, 2017 | By Flaxman Law Group

Pools are a major safety concern for parents. In fact, according to economist Steven D. Levitt, swimming pools are about 100 times more likely than a handgun to result in child fatalities. It is time to start treating swimming pools with due care to prevent drownings and near drowning incidents in Hollywood and across the country.

It all starts with how we look swimming pools. When we start taking the same care with swimming pools that we take with other risks, we can reduce the number of swimming pool injuries and fatalities. There are several things you can do if you’d like to play a role in reducing pool risks:

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Safety Tips for your Homestead Pool

Published on: May 27, 2016 | By Flaxman Law Group

If you have a pool at home, you’ll want to be able to enjoy it all summer long. You’ll also want to make sure that it is safe for all of your family and all of your guests to enjoy. There are several ways you can ensure safety while preventing injuries at your Homestead pool:

1) Install no-slip areas around the pool.

One of the biggest risks with pools are slip and fall incidents. By installing no slip treads along the areas leading up to and into the pool area, you can ensure anyone walking with slippery feet will have some traction to prevent slips.

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Water Safety a Crucial Skill for Kids in Hollywood

Published on: March 12, 2016 | By Flaxman Law Group

In Hollywood and across South Florida, children have access to a lot of water recreation. There are pools, waterways, and beaches to play in and many Floridians love taking to the water when the weather is warm (which is most of the year). The state has many waterways and because of the mild weather many homes have pools.

While all that water can be fun, it does present the risk of water-related injury. Children, however, are especially vulnerable to water injury and drowning in Hollywood and across the region. They may still be developing their swimming skills and they may not fully understand the dangers of water. If you have children, there are several things you can do to keep your kids safer in and around water:

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How Safe is Your Pool?

Published on: June 25, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Now that the summer is here, it’s a great time to own a pool. If your home in Homestead or South Florida has a pool, though, you have an obligation to make sure that your pool area is safe. It is especially important to keep your pool area safe from children who may be attracted by the pool and may wander onto your property. Even if a child trespasses on your property and is injured in your pool, you may be held liable because as a property owner you are considered to have a special obligation of care to children.

To keep your pool area safe, there are several things you will want to do:

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Prevent Pool Injury and Drowning in Homestead or Your Community This Summer

Published on: June 3, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Pools are a major cause of child injury in Homestead and Florida, especially during the summer months. During this time of the year, beaches are filled with families, pool parties are common, and public pools offer special summer programs. While all of these can be fun, they can also pose a danger, especially for children. According to statistics, Florida has the highest rate of drownings for children 13 years and younger. For Florida children between the ages of one and four, drowning is the leading cause of death. In the state, drowning rates for those under the age of 5 are double what they are in the rest of the country.

According to safety experts, one of the best ways to keep children safe from injury is to teach them swimming skills early on in life. Children who are strong swimmers may have a lower risk of pool injury and drowning in Homestead or their community. Many pools and community centers offer low-cost swimming lessons for children and many communities even have free programs. It is important to start lessons early, where possible. Even babies who can crawl can be taught to float on their backs – a skill that could save their life.

Another important line of defense is to secure any pool area in your home. If you have a pool, it is important to have it protected by a fence and a self-locking gate to prevent children from wandering into the pool area alone. A motion-sensitive alarm that sounds when someone is in the pool area is also a smart safety precaution. Even a simple door alarm in a pool area can be a very easy way to keep a pool safe and these basic alarms can cost as little as $10. Installing good security systems around the pool not only improves safety but can also protect you from a premises liability claim in your Homestead or Florida home.

A final piece of the solution is to ensure good supervision. According to safety experts, any time that children are around water – whether that means at a pool, beach, lake, in a boat or bathtub – proper supervision is vital. Even if a child knows how to swim, they can panic if they get into trouble in the water and can still be at risk.

The Florida Department of Health and the DFC have teamed up with Florida YMCAs to launch the “Eyes on the Kids” program to promote good supervision this summer when children are around water. The message is simple: when children are around water it is important for adults to avoid texting or anything else that could distract them from safety.

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Pool Injuries in Homestead: How to Prevent Them

Published on: June 27, 2013 | By Flaxman Law Group

Many homeowners in Homestead decide to put in a pool at their home. While in the past pools were rather expensive today’s simple models cost a few hundred dollars and can be set up in an afternoon. While buying a pool is simple, however, many homeowners do not realize the ways that a pool in the backyard can increase the risk of injury and liability. If you are considering buying a pool, make sure that you:

1) Buy the safest pool and pool equipment you can. Each year, product liability claims are launched in Homestead and across Florida due to defective and dangerous pools and equipment. Research the pool company before you buy and purchase the safest pool you can – even if that means paying a little more.

2) Buy the accessories that will make your pool safe. At minimum, you will want a fence around the pool area and a self-locking gate. An alarm system and no-slip treads surrounding the pool area are also a good idea and can help prevent many pool injuries in your Homestead pool.

3) Maintain your pool area. In addition to cleaning the pool, do a periodic check of the gate and fence as well as the pool itself. If the gate or fence is broken in any way and a child wanders into the pool area you could be held liable if the child sustains any injuries, such as head injuries, in your Homestead pool.

4) Never introduce something into the pool area that is not supposed to be there. If a child’s toy says it should not be used as a flotation device, do not permit your children to use it as such. If your child wants to have a radio by the pool, invest in a water-safe portable radio. Introducing unsafe elements and chemicals into the pool area can have dire consequences; last week, party-goers in Leon, Mexico were seriously injured when party organizers poured liquid nitrogen into a pool to create a smoke effect.

5) Set up pool rules. These rules should include guidelines such as:

•No running by the pool
•No swimming without supervision
•Children and minors are not allowed in the pool area without an adult present
•No electronic equipment is allowed near the pool area
There should be clear consequences for breaking the rules and the rules should be posted in the pool area.

6) Protect your children’s eyes. According to Professor Gerald McGwin Jr. at the University of Alabama, childhood eye injuries are more common during the summer months and a common culprit is swimming pools. He recommends using swimming goggles and masks and checking water pH levels often to prevent this common type of injury.

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