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Authorities in Winston Salem, North Carolina are investigating the drowning death of a 6-year-old girl at a public North Carolina pool. This tragic death marks the 2nd accident of this type to take place in the Tarheel state at a public pool in less than a month.

It is especially hard for a parent to lose a child. This is a tragic accident that highlights the unfortunate fact that pools can be great fun to young children, but the hide a potentially deadly consequence of accidental drowning.

On Saturday several news sources had reported that paramedics were called to the Kimberly Park pool in Winston-Salem Friday afternoon. Lifeguards pulled the girl from the water after swimmers spotted her lying on the bottom of the pool in about 12 feet of water. They performed CPR on her until paramedics arrived but could not revive the little girl.

The Winston Salem girl was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her name has not been released. Police say the girl was part of a group from the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club. The pool was shut down for the rest of the day Friday and was set to reopen Saturday afternoon.

As a personal injury lawyer we review many cases of accidental death and serious injuries. It is especially sad to hear when a child is severely injured or killed in this way. Here are some facts that might help in regards to drowning:

· In 2002, over 400,000 people died from drowning worldwide. In the US, drowning claims nearly 3,600 lives annually and is the third leading cause of accidental death in the United States. For children, it is the second leading cause of accidental death for school-age children and the number one cause for preschoolers.

· Two-thirds of drownings happen in the summer months: 40% occur on Saturday and Sunday. Some 90% occur in fresh water even in states with large coastal regions. More than half of these cases occur in home swimming pools.

· One-quarter to one-third of drowning victims have swimming lessons. Although drowning equally affects both sexes, males have a rate three times higher than females because of increased reckless behavior and use of alcohol.

· Children less than one year of age tend to drown in bathtubs and buckets because they are not coordinated enough to get out by themselves when they fall in. Older children aged 1-4 drown in swimming pools, while those aged 5-14 years tend to drown in lakes, ponds, rivers, and oceans. Adolescents and adults tend to drown because of impaired swimming ability from alcohol or illicit drug use.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper,Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

BM

2 Comments

  1. Gravatar for Wayne Parsons
    Wayne Parsons

    Thanks Emily Mapp Brannon!

    I am going to compare the tragic statistics of Virginia and the U.S. with Hawaii. Hawaii is kind of the ultimate "ocean" state but we also have a huge swimming pool community.

    I am interested in what the swimming pool community has to help people avoid summer tragedy.

  2. Gravatar for Steve Lombardi
    Steve Lombardi

    Emily: What governmental agency investigates accidental drownings? Do they create and file reports? Do they compile annual statistics of the likely causes of drownings? Perhaps Wayne, yourself and me can look into where this information may be found. But I'll have to do it in two weeks when I return from vacation.

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