Child Injury Lawyer Blog
During the summer months, swimming is a wonderful activity for children. It can also be a dangerous one. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is listed as the top cause of death for children ages one to four years old. For older children ranging in age from five to nineteen years old, drowning is listed as the third leading cause of death.
There are several precautions a parent can take to protect their children from drowning. Children near open bodies of water, like lakes or beaches, should wear life vests. However, of the almost one thousand child drownings each year, the majority of these occur in home backyard pools. First, there should always be a supervising adult near swimming children. Many parents and homeowners decide it is best to construct a fence around their pool in order to physically separate young children from the water, and studies show that “four-sided fencing with a locking gate… prevents more than half of swimming pool deaths in children.” The CDC recommends a fence at least four feet high. In the event of a child falling into a pool or other body of water, parents should take care to learn CPR.
One preventative measure which has garnered a bit of attention in the last few years is youth swimming lessons—starting as young as a year old. The reason for this early start is twofold—first, infants can drown in bodies of water much smaller than a swimming pool, like a bathtub or even a bucket of water, and, second, the lessons prepare young children in case they accidentally fall into a swimming pool. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says almost seventy percent of drowning victims under the age of five were not expected to be in the water. For this reason, youth swimming lessons are focused on familiarization with water, being able to breach the surface and tread water or looking for floatation devices. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends swim lessons for children between the years of one and four, and the USA Swimming Foundation reports that lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by almost ninety percent. Parents should make sure that, when enrolling their children in a swimming course, the teachers are properly trained and that there are lifeguards on duty.
Drowning is a problem that continues to be a tragedy in many communities during the summer, spring, and other times of the year. Some drownings are unpredictable and unpreventable even with good supervision. For instance, if a person has a seizure or heart problems out of the blue and then drowns, this may not be preventable especially with no prior history of seizures or heart problems. However, most other drowning incidents are preventable with proper safety precautions, supervision, and training in place. This is especially important when there are children in or near a swimming pool around some other aquatic activity. Tragically, drowning is the leading cause of death for hildren between the ages of 1 through 4 years of age. See 
Summer is filled with adventures, vacations, swimming, and boating activities. It is a great time to spend with family and friends and to be active in the great weather. With great fun and adventure, there should also be the concepts of safety and supervision in mind especially when there are children participating in these activities. It should be noted that drowning is still a major casuse of death in children. While rates have been declining in recent years, drowning is still listed as the second leading cause of death in children between the ages of 1 to 18. Drowning deaths are limited to large bodies of water like oceans, rivers, and lakes. A child can also drown in a swimming pool, wading pool, portable pool, and even a bucket of water. As such, it is important for child care providers and parents to provide consistent supervision when children are in or near swimming, boating, and any place else there is a risk for drowning or personal injuries. The American Academy of Pediatrics provides the following as tips for child safety and drowning prevention: