Swimming pools are staples of the Florida lifestyle. Whether you have a pool at your home or you spend time at a public pool or private facility, the last thing you want to have happen during a pool day is for you or a family member to slip, fall and suffer a serious injury. You can reduce the risk of such mishaps by becoming aware of the hazards that often lead to them.
Every year, hundreds of Floridians are injured when they slip and fall around the pool due to:
- Wet pool decking and standing water in areas around the pool
- Worn or missing slip-resistant material on ladders, diving boards, or concrete stairs at the corner of the pool
- Tool, equipment, hoses, toys, towels and other items lying near the pool
- Wet flooring in locker rooms and bathrooms at public pools
- Cracked, broken or uneven concrete on pool decks and the surrounding areas
- Defective diving boards and slides
In the unfortunate event that you get hurt at a pool, you may be able to pursue a personal injury lawsuit seeking compensation. Such lawsuits can be filed against hotels, water parks, cruise lines and even private homeowners. To prove negligence on the part of a pool owner or operator, you will need to show that they either knew or should have known that there was a dangerous condition at the pool and failed to fix it.
The pool owner or operator may argue that you were at least partially at fault for your accident. Common arguments are that the injured person engaged in horseplay or disregarded warning signs, or that the alleged dangerous condition was so open and obvious that any reasonable pool visitor would have avoided it.
If the defense convinces the jury that you were partially responsible for your pool accident, then any compensation award will be limited according to the percentage of fault assigned to you. For example, if you prove $100,000 in damages but are deemed to be 40 percent at fault, your award would be reduced by 40 percent, and you would get $60,000.
With offices in Tavares, Inverness and Clermont, Largey Law Firm handles pool accident injury cases across Central Florida. Contact us online to schedule a free consultation to discuss your situation with a lawyer.
