It’s something that no one likes to think about, but hundreds of times each year children drown to death in the Las Vegas area. It’s one of the most frequent causes of accidental death nationwide for kids between the ages of 1 and 14.
Drowning deaths can happen:
- in a large swimming pool in one of the posh hotels on the Strip
- in a motel swimming pool in Henderson
- in a community center pool in Green Valley
- in a swimming pool at an RV park in Clark County
- while boating on Lake Mead
- in a pond, river, or stream in the mountains east of Pahrump
- in a bathtub inside a Summerlin home
One of the most common places where child drownings occur is in the backyard swimming pool of a private residence. Five minutes is sometimes all it takes for a kid to fall into the water and drown.
What are the most frequent causes of child drowning deaths?
- No supervision– the absence of a lifeguard or responsible adult who vigilantly monitors kids in the water.
- No lifejackets– kids are required to wear a personal flotation device while in a boat, on a personal watercraft, or while waterskiing or tubing in a lake.
- No barriers– countless pools have improper fencing (or none at all) – thereby permitting a young child to wander into the pool and drown.
- No ability to swim– all children should be able to move around in water that is deeper than their height. This allows them to swim out of danger and into shallower waters.
Most swimming pools are supposed to have someone responsible for monitoring the safety of those swimming in it – including backyard pools. If no supervision is present, the owners of the pool could be sued for wrongful death if a child drowns in it.