Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

Almost every year in America nearly 200 hundred children younger than 5-years-old drown in swimming pools and spas and more than 3,200 that age go to hospital emergency rooms due to non-fatal submersion injuries. An unknown number of these hospitalizations result in permanent disability including brain damage. As an experienced Philadelphia swimming pool accident and water accident attorney, one thing is almost always certain. That most of these injuries could have been easily prevented.

The Virginia Graeme-Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act was passed as a federal child safety act designed to prevent the tragic and hidden hazard of drain entrapments and eviscerations in swimming pools and spas. Despite the fact that the law became effective on December 19, 2008, we have noticed that many swimming pools, hot tubs, public pools, and water parks are non-compliant. The law has had poor exposure to most pool operators.

A recent poll indicates that over 25% of respondents have no idea of what the Act is. 27% indicate that they are non-compliant. This raises additional concerns for the safety of children. Believe it or not many pool operators continue to place profitability over safety and claim that they cannot afford to repair a defective drain or pool. The cost of the repair for the new improved drains ranges from $30 for small drains to approximately $1,000 for large drains at theme parks or kiddie pools. There are many excellent resources available explaining the law and how to safeguard against injuries. These websites include www.safekids.org, www.nrpa.org, and www.youtube.com/poolsafety.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a swimming pool, water park, or hot tub accident, it is best that you contact an experienced swimming pool or water park accident attorney to investigate your rights. The best swimming pool accident attorney will always offer a free no obligation consultation. Please contact us at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

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Posted In: Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents

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This is the third Pennsylvania swimming pool accident case that I have learned about in the last few days. A 3-year old girl was found floating in a swimming pool by a Pennsylvania family. According to news sources, the toddler was playing outside of her house with her mother. After the mother put the child to sleep, the mother fell asleep as well. The toddler then left home with a diaper bag and walked down two houses to a neighbor’s pool, pried open the gate, and somehow got into the swimming pool. The neighbors found the 3-year-old floating in their pool at their home on Haul Street in Brownstone, PA. Emergency crews arrived at the pool and took the child to Children’s Hospital where the prognosis thankfully looks good. This third example of drowning or near drowning at a Pennsylvania swimming pool indicates the necessity to take strong precautions when it comes to swimming pools and safety. As I have said before, in a split second a situation such as this could have ended tragically with a drowning.

As an experienced Pennsylvania swimming pool and hot tub accident lawyer, I recommend the use of gates, alarms, and extra supervision as well as following the guidelines set forth in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s public safety campaign on pool and spa safety.

If you or a loved one would like more information on swimming pool safety or have been involved in a swimming pool, hot tub or water park accident, please contact one of our experienced lawyers for a no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

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Posted In: Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents

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In late June, I had the opportunity to speak with Representatives of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission with regard to their campaign to attempt to reduce pool and spa drownings. As a Pennsylvania swimming pool and water accident lawyer, I am all too familiar with the tragic consequences of drowning and other water-related injuries that are often so preventable. As temperatures rise in the Pennsylvania area and around the United States, millions of Americans will flock to swimming pools. It is important to take various protective water safety tips to save the lives of children. Believe it or not, drowning is the leading cause of death for children under 5.

The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act is Federal legislation signed into law in 2007 mandating new legal requirements for public pool and spa safety including a public education program designed to increase public awareness, promote industry compliance, and improve safety at pools and spas. Unfortunately, my experience as an experienced Pennsylvania accident and swimming pool lawyer has been that many pool owners and operators in a tough economy have not complied with the mandates of these new laws. The most important steps for any parent to take is to constantly be on the lookout for children in and around a pool area.

–Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always watch your child when they are in or near a pool or spa.

–Teach children basic water safety tips.

–Avoid entrapment by keeping children away from all pool drains, pipes, and other openings.

–Have a phone close by at all times when you or your family are using a pool or spa.

–If a child is missing, look for them in a pool or spa first.

–Share safety instructions with all family, friends, and neighbors.

–Learn how to swim and teach your children how to swim.

–Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults and update regularly.

–Understand the basics of lifesaving so that you can assist in a pool emergency.

–Install a 4 foot fence around the perimeter of the pool and spa and use self closing and self latching gates.

–If your house serves as a 4th side of a fence around a pool, install a pool alarm and use it all the time.

–Make sure your pool or any spa used has complying drain covers and ask if you don=t know.

–Have lifesaving equipment such as life rings or floats available for easy use.

For more information visit the following website www.poolsafety.gov or view YouTube at www.youtube.com/poolsafety.

The Pennsylvania swimming pool and water accident safety lawyers of Reiff and Bily are committed to preventing drownings, catastrophic accidents, and brain trauma which result from negligent pool safety. The swimming season has kicked off and we want parents and children to stay safe.

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Posted In: Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents

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The two-year son of former Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback, Randall Cunningham, died in a hot tub accident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Randall Cunningham. I cannot imagine a greater loss.

According to news sources, the two-year old boy was found floating at approximately 4:30 p.m. in the hot tub behind the family home in Las Vegas. As I am well aware as an experienced Pennsylvania swimming pool and hot tub accident attorney, it only takes a brief minute for someone to take their eyes off of a child resulting in a tragic consequence such as this. At the Pennsylvania swimming pool and hot tub accident lawyers of Reiff and Bily, we are strong advocates of pool and spa safety and as temperatures rise throughout our country, millions of American families will flock to swimming pools, water parks, and hot tubs.

This tragic drowning should serve to remind parents and children to take protective water safety steps to stay safe this summer. I strongly advise checking out the website www.poolsafety.gov.

If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of swimming pool, water park or hot tub accident, please contact one of our experienced Pennsylvania swimming pool, water park, or hot tub accident lawyers for a free no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

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Recently a college student attending a family reunion at a hotel drowned while swimming in the deep end of the hotel swimming pool which was cloudy and dark. A jury spoke out and awarded $3.7 million dollars, including $3 million in punitive damages holding the hotel responsible, claiming that the hotel owners and operators allowed the deceased to use the pool despite the fact that its cloudy water posed a safety hazard. In the lawsuit, it was also alleged that there were improper safety standards and lack of safety equipment at the pool. This tragedy occurred when the 19-year old swam into the deep end of the pool and suffered a form of sudden inhalation and disappeared. Because of the cloudy water, rescuers could not locate him for approximately 12 minutes, after which he was revived but remained in a vegetative state until his death more than 3 months later. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of this swimming pool drowning victim.

The experienced Pennsylvania swimming pool accident and drowning lawyers at Reiff and Bily are all too familiar with swimming pool safety and the tragic events that can unfold due to cloudy or dirty swimming pools. If you or a loved one has been involved in a drowning or swimming pool accident, please feel free to contact one of our experienced lawyers for a free no obligation consultation. We offer a no recovery, no fee guarantee.

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Last week while traveling on business to Israel after a long day’s work I decided to take a relaxing respite in a Jacuzzi whirlpool hot tub. Although I am 55 years old and not a “light weight” individual, I was suddenly and with great force sucked into the underwater intake of the hot tub pump. Prior to my entry to the hot tub, I witnessed a number of children ages 4 to 8 years old in the whirlpool, some of them with long hair, and instantly I thought that this hot tub presented an accident waiting to happen with a rather obvious safety hazard and a potential death trap to unsuspecting individuals.

As an experienced Pennsylvania swimming pool and hot tub drowning accident lawyer since 1979, I have investigated and have witnessed numerous factors concerning unfortunate accidental drownings, loss of limbs, injuries to bowels and other organs as a result of defective swimming pools, pumps, or drains without proper safety features in place. Statistics reveal that one quarter of all drowning deaths in the United States occur to children under the age of 16. Swimming pools and hot tubs are more often the sites of wrongful deaths due to drowning accidents.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a swimming pool or hot tub accident, you should speak with an experienced premises liability and swimming pool or hot tub accident lawyer. We have been able to hold pool manufacturers and pump manufacturers responsible for defective products. These defective products become known when pumps or drains are installed or distributed without proper safety features in place.

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Hassan Itoni of Dearborn, Michigan who was pulled from an outdoor pool at Kalahari Resorts water park in Sandusky, Ohio and pronounced dead at the hospital. According to news sources, the 3-year old Michigan boy drowned at a northern Ohio water park and was found face down in the children’s pool. Unfortunately, at the amusement park and swimming pool accident law firm of Reiff and Bily, we are all too familiar with swimming pool and amusement park accidents. Police referred to this drowning death as a tragic accident and the local coroner stated that the mother of the child lost sight of her son who did not know how to swim while he was playing with an older brother around the pool which ranged in 3 to 4 feet in depth.

Drowning or near drowning accidents in water parks is a huge problem in the summer months particularly when pool sites are crowded. Our amusement park and swimming pool accident lawyers are consulted on a number of cases each summer by families of children who are seriously injured in swimming pool accidents whether they be at camps, water parks, amusement parks or community pools. If a child is injured in your pool or anyone’s pool under your watch, you could be held liable for those injuries. If a child is injured at a water park or amusement park, the park owes the highest duty of care to all consumers to insure the safety of their customers. Constant supervision is also extremely important when children are playing near water. Drowning often happens silently and quickly, normally within a few seconds. Drowning accidents result in catastrophic brain injuries or deaths.

If you or a loved one had been injured in a swimming pool or amusement park accident, please consult with an experienced Philadelphia lawyer who can best explain how to protect your rights. Please contact one of our experienced personal injury lawyers for a free no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Amusement Parks , Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents

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Unfortunately every year over 1,000 children will drown in a swimming pool accident. Most of these accidents or drownings are easily to preventable. Beside the 1,000 deaths, it is estimated that almost 60,000 people last year required emergency room treatment for injuries sustained with swimming pools, swimming pool slides and diving boards. A person can drown in under 2 inches of water and die or sustain brain damage with submersion for a mere few minutes. Last year a new federal law went into effect requiring swimming pools to have covers over drainage systems to prevent drain suction from trapping swimmers under water or from sucking their innards out, a strange but true phenomena. Though the law took effect six months ago, I’m betting many pools have not brought themselves up to code in the current economic environment. Some experts and other sources informed me that many municipal pools are “still working on the problem” and have not yet complied with the federally mandated requirement. There is no excuse to allow anything other than a safe swimming pool environment to exist. Most state and local officials affirm they will check pools but stress they do not have the power to close pools. Unfortunately, there is still not a formal system or requirement for state or local officials to send information to Washington to ensure that pools are in conformance with the new regulations set forth by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a swimming pool or water park accident, please contact the experienced swimming pool and amusement injury lawyers at the Philadelphia personal injury law firm of Reiff and Bily at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com for a free no obligation consultation. We have been committed to representing consumers’ rights successfully since 1979.

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It is an unfortunate fact that as the summer season comes, so do water and pool-related injuries and deaths. Approximately 10 water-related deaths per day are related to drowning. Additionally, 700 people die each year in boating-related accidents. According to the CDC more than 1 in 4 fatal drowning victims are children aged 14 and younger. For every child who drowns, another 4 receive emergency treatment for non-fatal submersion and brain injury. Non-fatal drownings often cause brain damage resulting in long-term disabilities including memory problems, learning disabilities and a permanent loss of basic functioning. The CDC determined that the major risk factors for swimming pool accidents and/or drowning are lack of barriers and supervision. Almost all young children who drown in pools were last since in the home, had been out of sight less than 5 minutes and were in the care of one or both parents at the time. All pools should have pool fencing which can help prevent children from getting access to the pool area without care giver awareness. With adult or adolescent deaths there is generally a ratio of alcohol use with a drowning or pool injury. Alcohol influences balance, coordination and judgment and its effects are often heightened by sun exposure and heat.

The experienced Philadelphia swimming pool accident and injury lawyers of Reiff and Bily recommend that you take the following steps to help prevent pool or water related drowning or injuries.

1. Designate a responsible adult to watch young children while swimming or playing in or around water. Adults should not be involved in any other distracting activity such as reading, playing cards, talking on the phone or mowing the lawn while supervising children.

2. Always swim with a buddy.

Continue reading "Protect The Ones You Love From Drowning" »

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Posted In: Brain Injury , Catastrophic loss , Personal Injury , Premises liability , Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents , Wrongful Death

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The swimming pool accident attorneys of the Philadelphia swimming pool accident law firm of Reiff and Bily offer their heartfelt prayers and sympathies to the family of Andre Davis, a New Jersey high school student who drowned Wednesday, January 21, 2009 during a party that Rider University students were holding during winter break in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The incident occurred at an Ocho Rios, Jamaica resort pool where there was no lifeguard present and where many people including Ms. Davis did not know how to swim. This tragic accident took place two days before the students left Ocho Rios, Jamaica to come home from what was a 16 day student winter vacation.

Continue reading "Tragic Drowning of High School Student Mars Local High School Student Winter Vacation" »

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On December 19, 2008, The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act became effective. This law requires installation of anti-entrapment drain covers and other systems outlined in the act.

The Pool and Spa Safety Act was enacted by Congress and was signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 19, 2007. It is designed to prevent the tragic and hidden hazard of drain entrapments and eviscerations in pools and spas. Under this law, all public pools and spas must have ASME/ANSI A112.19.8-2007 compliant drain covers installed and a second anti-entrapment system installed when there is only one single main drain.

Continue reading "Pool Drain Law Goes Into Effect Designed To Prevent Drain Suction From Trapping Infants and Children Under Water" »

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The swimming pool accident attorneys at Reiff and Bily wish to inform you that swimming pools built before 1992 should be upgraded due to the fact that many of these pools have never been inspected by authorities and are not properly maintained. The lack of proper maintenance creates an unsafe condition that may render the owner or operator liable for monetary damages. Swimming pool inspections can lead to prevention of the drowning of toddlers and pool-side accidents. Backyard swimming pools are the most common location of the drowning of children under the age of five. While one is inspecting the swimming pool, the fence around it should also get inspected. The weakest part of the fence is the gate and that is how many children enter into the swimming pool area. Not so surprisingly, many fences around swimming pools are non-compliant with local regulations.

Continue reading "Many Swimming Pools Built Before 1992 Do Not Meet Safety Standards" »

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The Pennsylvania swimming pool attorneys at Reiff and Bily offer their heartfelt condolences to the family of a toddler who drowned two weeks ago at a Houston apartment complex. The owner of the apartment complex has been accused of leaving gaps in the fence which may have allowed the young boy to access the swimming pool. According to the report, the owner of the apartment complex did not repair a chest-high iron fence surrounding the cloudy, algae filled pool. City officials noted both the fence and water conditions violated state and municipal laws. The death of the infant was caused by the negligence of the defendant in failing to keep the pool water clean, as well as failing to maintain the protective fence around the pool. (Houston Chronicle news article)

Most swimming pool injuries occur because of failure to properly secure a pool from small children and failure to maintain the swimming pool water in good condition. Property owners are often found liable if their negligence leads to the injury or death. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of 23 month old Conar Matthew Rose. The catastrophic injury and swimming pool accident lawyers at Reiff and Bily have experience investigating swimming pool drowning accidents since 1979. What we need to learn from this tragedy is that swimming pool accidents can be prevented with proper safeguards and constant supervision of young ones.

For more information about swimming pool safety and other water safety tips, please visit our website at www.reiffandbily.com.

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Swimming pools, diving boards and hot tubs often pose a significant risk of serious injury and even death if proper safety measures are not followed. Each year in Pennsylvania, swimming pool accidents claim the lives of many innocent children as well as thousands of adults. Homeowners, hotel owners and apartment owners who have pools owe a small responsibility to provide a safe environment for both children and adults but too many times this does not happen.

Often times a swimming pool draws children like a magnet that swimming pool accidents are the second leading cause of death for children under the age of 14. Each year in the United States, 1,000 children die and 5,000 others are hospitalized with catastrophic injuries due to swimming-related accidents. Unbelievably, drowning is the leading cause of death among children from ages 2-4. When a child submerges for 2 minutes or more in the water, the child loses consciousness. Irreversible brain damage sets in after 4-6 minutes of water submersion.

Diving board accidents or dives into shallow pools are responsible for about 10% of all catastrophic spinal cord injuries. The lawyers at the Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys and swimming pool injury law firm of Reiff and Bily have represented numerous Pennsylvania families and individuals who have suffered injury or death as the result of swimming accidents. Most swimming pool injuries occur because of improper design or improper construction or failure to properly secure the pool from small children or failure to maintain the pool in good condition.

Continue reading "Pennsylvania Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents: Is Your Swimming Pool Safe?" »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Personal Injury , Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents

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With summer and beautiful weather approaching, pool use is on the rise. With proper pool use comes safety to prevent hazards. Drowning is the number two accidental injury-related killer of children ages one to fourteen. There are approximately 260 drowning deaths of children younger than age five each year in the swimming pools and an estimated 2,725 children are treated annually in hospital emergency rooms for pool submersion injuries, mostly in residential pools. One relatively unknown hazard, especially for children, is drain entrapment. Twenty-nine percent of people who own a pool are not at all familiar with entrapment, while thirty-seven percent are somewhat familiar. Entrapment can occur in a private or home pool, public pool, or spa/hot tub.

Continue reading "Is Your Swimming Pool Safe? Hidden Danger Lies in Unprotected Drains " »

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Posted In: Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents

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Swimming pools, diving boards and hot tubs often pose a significant risk of serious injury and even wrongful death if proper safety measures are not followed. Each year in Pennsylvania, swimming pool accidents claim the lives of many innocent children as well as thousands of adults. Homeowners, hotel owners and apartment owners who have pools owe a small responsibility to provide a safe environment for both children and adults but to many times this does not happen.

Often times a swimming pool draws children like a magnet. Swimming pool accidents are the second leading cause of death for children under the age of 14. Each year in the United States, 1,000 children die and 5,000 others are hospitalized with catastrophic injuries due to swimming-related accidents. Unbelievably, drowning is the leading cause of death among children ages 2-4. When a child submerges for 2 minutes or more in the water, the child loses consciousness. Irreversible brain damage sets in after 4-6 minutes of water submersion.

Continue reading "Pennsylvania Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents: Is Your Swimming Pool Safe?" »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents

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