Help your family stay safe this summer by reading up on these facts about drowning accidents.
Swimming is a favorite summer pastime, but unfortunately it is not totally without danger. Learning the following 4 things could help your family stay safe.
A Drowning Child Cannot Call for Help
When any individual begins to drown, an automatic response known as the instinctive drowning response is triggered. This means that all the body’s efforts are focused on getting the airways above water so the victim can breathe.
When the instinctive drowning response is triggered, the following things happen:
- The victim is unable to call out for help because the body is struggling to breathe in, not out, every time the mouth breaks the surface of the water.
- The victim is unable to wave their arms to signal for help because their instinct is to press their arms down against the water in order to push their body to the surface.
- The victim is unable to swim to safety or even move a few feet towards a rescuer because the legs are not active in the instinctive drowning response.
Swimming Underwater Presents a Danger of Shallow Water Blackout
Kids should not be encouraged to play games where they push themselves to hold their breath underwater for long spells. Normally, blood carbon dioxide levels rise when you hold your breath and trigger the need to breathe. But when kids prepare for swimming underwater by taking lots of rapid breaths, this results in a sharp drop in blood carbon dioxide levels. With levels already low when the child ducks beneath the water, it may take too long for levels to rise to the point where the child realizes they need to breathe. They may faint under water and this can easily result in death.
Secondary Drowning is Possible Long After Kids Leave the Water
If a child suffers a near-drowning where they get water in their lungs, they may be in danger of secondary drowning hours later. The water will fill up pores in their lungs, reducing their ability to transfer sufficient oxygen into the bloodstream. This typically results in symptoms like extreme fatigue, breathing problems, chest pain, coughing, or vomiting. If the child is not taken to a hospital promptly, the lack of oxygen could cause brain injury or death.
Brain Injuries or Wrongful Death May Deserve Compensation
Most drowning incidents are simply tragic accidents. However, in some cases negligence may have contributed to the injury or death. For example, a property owner who has negligently flaunted laws about fencing designed to protect kids from falling into pools can and should be held accountable for this negligence if it results in an accident. In order to do this, parents must enlist the assistance of a skilled personal injury attorney such as Fernando D. Vargas who can advise them on the possibility of pursuing compensation for their child’s brain injury or death via a premises liability claim.
