Articles Posted in Swimming Pool Injuries

It’s summer in Massachusetts and it’s been hot.  For me, I love both of these environments.  Give me hot weather over any of the other seasons (especially winter.)

A surprisingly high percentage of homes in Massachusetts and New England have backyard swimming pools – whether in-ground or above-ground.  I’ve always found this a bit unusual – I mean, this isn’t Texas, Florida or Arizona – summers here are pretty brief, and heat waves don’t usually last 4-5 days.  But regardless, those that have swimming pools, love them.  What most pool owners don’t know, are that backyard swimming pools are a liability trap.  In the law, they’re called an “attractive nuisance,” as they often draw young kids to them – and these environments are very dangerous.  Consider this equation:  No lifeguards + no life-saving equipment + running on slippery surfaces + rambunctious play.  The sum of these dangerous parts?  It’s often disaster.

Sadly, that’s what appeared to happen yesterday (July 11 2024,) at a backyard swimming pool in the town of Sutton.  A call was placed into the Sutton Police Department at approximately 3:50 PM, reporting that a 4 year-old girl named Eva was missing, and that she was autistic.  She was reportedly found about three hours later, unresponsive in a neighbor’s swimming pool.  An awful outcome.

An awful tragedy struck two families today at a pond in Worcester.

Worcester Police received multiple calls reporting that someone was possibly drowning Green Hill Pond at around 1:35 p.m.  Several officers responded and immediately went into the pond to rescue the struggling swimmer, reportedly a 14-year-old boy.  Officers brought two people out of the water, but then discovered an officer was missing.  Following a search, officer

Enmanuel “Manny” Familia was found about an hour later and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Familia was with the Worcester Police Department for five years.  He leaves his wife, Jennifer, and two young children, Jayla and Jovan.  The teenager, whose name has not been released, was located shortly afterward and taken to a local hospital, where he too was pronounced dead. Surprisingly, a diver was also taken to a hospital for minor injuries.

Oh those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Those days of soda, and pretzels, and beer.

But there’s one thing singer Nat King Cole forgot. Summer always bring with it swimming pools – and inevitably – and sometimes tragically – serious swimming pool accidents. That can involve everything from diving into the shallow end of the pool, causing brain injuries and death, to slipping on concrete surfaces, to fatal drowning accidents.

I’ve written several previous blog posts about how swimming pools bring with them inherent risks of serious personal injuries. The risks of swimming pool injuries are very high. This is an area of law known as “premises liability” or “product liability.” The pool might be an in-ground/built-in, or an above-ground portable. It often makes little difference. As a Dedham/Boston accident lawyer, I can assure you pools can be very dangerous – if not deadly.