Austin Apartment Pool Drowning

100 Congress Avenue, Suite 2000

Austin, Texas 78701

(512) 806-0000

For prospective apartment renters, not having a swimming pool on the property is almost always a “deal breaker.” In fact, most apartment leasing agents will tell you that a swimming pool is one of the first things they are asked about. Most of the time, a swimming pool will remain something that is nice to have close at hand during those hot summer afternoons that Austin is so famous for. Unfortunately, there are times when the swimming pool that we had enjoyed only days before becomes the scene of almost unbelievable tragedy when a drowning accident occurs.

Who Is Held Responsible For Drowning Accidents In Apartment Swimming Pools?

Apartment pool drowning accidents are an example of what is called an “attractive nuisance.” An attractive nuisance is a situation where the mere presence of an object is so enticing that even the most cautious adult, much less a child, could “throw all reasonable caution to the wind” and do something that they know is ill-advised. As an example, a child may know that he or she is not to go swimming in the apartment pool unless an adult is present. If, however, the child finds the swimming pool gate unlocked, he might reason that just a few minutes in the kiddie pool would be alright. In this case, the pool would be the attractive nuisance while the unlocked gate could be taken as evidence of negligence.

Under the attractive nuisance doctrine, the “owner” of the nuisance is assumed to know that the nuisance would pose a danger to a child. In the apartment swimming pool example, the apartment complex becomes the “owner” and the swimming pool is the “attractive nuisance.” The apartment complex then becomes liable for any injuries or deaths that occur in its swimming pool because it knew that the pool was a danger to children and that it should have taken every possible precaution to prevent the child from entering the pool.

As any Austin drowning accident attorney knows all too well, drowning accidents need not be fatal in order to be devastating. There are many cases in which the accident victim will survive, but with a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen. Such injuries usually require months of specialized care and rehabilitation, and then a lifetime of profound disability that will eventually result in the survivor’s admission to a long-term nursing facility.

How Do Apartment Swimming Pool Accidents Occur?

Whenever we hear that there has been a drowning accident in an apartment swimming pool, the first question most of us will ask is “How could that have happened?” The answer to that question is usually that some factor which no one had noticed managed to enter the picture at precisely the wrong time.

An Austin apartment drowning lawyer will usually state that the more common factors that lead to accidental drownings in Austin-area apartment complex swimming pools are:

• unlocked gates or defective locks on gates
• no lifeguard, or an inexperienced lifeguard, on duty
• defective pool equipment such as diving boards or ladders
• live electrical equipment operating too near to the water
• improperly-stored pool cleaning chemicals or equipment

Do I Need An Austin Apartment Drowning Lawyer

Once again, the responsibility for an apartment swimming pool drowning accident is always assumed to rest with the apartment complex and it is the apartment complex’s responsibility to prove that it is not liable for damages that are the result of an accident!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Safety Council have reported that 76% of all swimming pool drowning deaths involve children five years of age and under. As any Austin drowning lawyer knows, this is also the case in Austin.

Finding an Austin Apartment Pool Drowning Lawyer

If you need to talk with an Austin apartment pool drowning lawyer, you should consider calling the Austin drowning accident attorney at the Doan Law Firm. Our Austin drowning accident lawyer will work with you and one of our accident investigators to determine the facts involved in your apartment pool drowning case before suggesting a course of action.

If you decide to pursue legal action regarding your drowning accident case, the Austin drowning lawyer at the Doan Law Firm will work for you on a no up-front costs basis. This means that we will assume responsibility for all necessary legal filings, interviews, and any other expenses that may arise as your case moves through the courts. We will recover our fees and expenses out of an agreed-upon percentage of your case settlement.

To arrange a consultation with an Austin drowning lawyer at the Doan Law Firm, you should call 1-(800) 349-0000. At the Doan Law Firm, you first consultation is always free and you are never under any obligation to retain our firm should you decide to pursue your Austin drowning accident case.