Texans from across the Lone Star State are spending significant time in pools as a means of escaping a particularly hot summer. Unfortunately, each week our apartment drowning accident lawyer team is learning of tragic incidents in which people, particularly children, are losing their lives in swimming pools. One such horrific death involved a 4-year-old girl who lost her life in a Texas City apartment drowning accident.
Police Launch Investigation into Texas City Apartment Drowning Accident
Many questions remain unanswered about the facts and circumstances surrounding this latest Texas child drowning accident. What is known is that Texas City first responders were called to the Terrances Apartments located at 2602 Street North at about 9:00 p.m. A 911 call evidently came in reporting a child in the apartment complex swimming pool. The preschool aged girl evidently was nonresponsive, according to Texas City Police Department Offices Lorenzo Manuel de La Garza.
One area in which there currently is a lack of clarity is whether or not the child was with family at the time she entered the water or was supervised by any adult whatsoever. Typically, apartment swimming pools do not have lifeguards on duty. In other words, people use apartment complex swimming pools at their own discretion and risk.
The Texas City Police Department reports that it has launched an investigation into the apartment drowning accident. The Doan Law Firm apartment drowning accident attorney team will continue to monitor progress of the investigation.
Shocking Child Drowning Accident Statistics
Statistics surrounding child drowning accidents in Texas and across the United States are alarming. Consider the following for a moment:
- Drowning accidents are the number one cause of unintentional death unintentional death for children between the ages of one and 14.
- Drowning accidents are the second leading cause of all deaths, not just unintentional ones, for children under the age of five.
- 77 percent of children involved in apartment drowning accidents and other types of residential drowning accidents had been missing for more than five minutes before they were found in a pool.
- We are at the height of child drowning accident “season.” The majority of child drowning accidents occur during June, July, and August in Texas and elsewhere in North America.
Apartment Buildings and Complexes do Have Safe Pool Responsibilities
As was mentioned, apartments typically do not have lifeguards on duty at their pools. There is no law that requires them to do so. With that said, merely because an apartment building or apartment complex doesn’t need to have a lifeguard on duty at a pool does not mean they don’t have to take reasonable steps to keep a pool area safe. For example, when it comes to reasonable safety, an argument can be made that an apartment swimming pool needs to have proper protective fencing around it to prevent unauthorized access, particularly by children. Other reasonable safety measures an apartment complex likely should take in regard to its pool includes:
- Automatically locking gate to the pool area.
- Alarming of the gate to notify of an unauthorized entrance.
- Alarmed pool deck area.
- Alarmed swimming pool to detect the entrance of someone into the water.
- Lifesaving equipment available at the pool.
If you’ve a child who was injured or killed in a Texas apartment drowning accident, The Doan Law Firm is here for you. You can connect with an experienced, compassionate Doan Law Firm apartment drowning accident lawyer by calling our firm at (800) 349-0000. Our drowning accident lawyer telephone line is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including all major holidays.
We can schedule an initial consultation for you with an apartment drowning accident lawyer at any one of our offices located throughout the state of Texas. A nationwide law firm, we have 40 offices across the United States.
There is no fee charged for an initial consultation with a Doan Law Firm apartment drowning accident lawyer. The Doan Law Firm makes an attorney fee pledge to you. We will never charge a fee unless we win your case for you.