Houston Drowning Lawyers
As we enter the year’s most popular swimming months, a new study highlights the need for vigilance whenever families and their kids enjoy the water.
The research, published late last week by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), found that fatal child drownings rose 12 percent in 2021, the most recent year for which data are available, compared to 2020. Child drownings also remained the leading cause of death for young children ages 1 to 4 years old.
“Children can drown quickly and silently and the increase in drownings for this age group is a sobering reminder of how prevalent these tragedies are,” said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. “Parents and caregivers should never let their guard down around water, that means installing layers of protection, like fencing, alarms, pool covers, and self-latching features to keep unsupervised kids from accessing the water.”
Most Child Drownings Involve Residential Pools and Spas
The CPSC data also revealed that:
- Between 2019 and 2021, there was an average of 358 pool- or spa-related fatal drownings reported each year. The vast majority of victims – 75 – percent were under the age of 5.
- 380 fatal child drownings were reported in 2021 compared to 339 fatal drownings reported in 2020.
- Between 2021 and 2023, hospitals in the United States treated an average of 6,500 estimated pool- or spa-related nonfatal drowning injuries each year.
- In 2023, 77 percent of all estimated pool- or spa-related nonfatal drowning injuries treated in emergency rooms involved children younger than 5 years of age.
While kids can drown wherever there is water, a staggering 80 percent of the fatal drownings involving children under the age of 15 occurred in a residential setting, including private homes, apartment buildings, and condominium complexes.
African-Americans Account for Disproportionate Share of Child Drownings
The CPSC study also revealed a continuing trend of racial disparities.
While African American children make up just 15 percent of the population in that age group, they accounted for 23 percent of all drownings among the cases where race was specified.
For drowning fatalities among children aged 5 to 14 where race was noted, 45 percent involved African American children
90 Child Drowning Deaths in Texas Last Year
According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, there were at least 90 fatal drownings involving children ages 17 and younger in the Lone Star State in 2023.
Harris County reported the most fatal child drownings last year, with 25. Bexar and Dallas Counties each reported five, Galveston reported four, and Travis and Montgomery reported three. Texas’s remaining counties each reported two or fewer.
While the department doesn’t track non-fatal drownings, it is estimated that they occur roughly 8-times more frequently than fatal drownings.
Child Drownings are Preventable
A child can drown in almost any amount of water, indoors or outdoors.
Fortunately, tragedies of this kind are entirely preventable. In light of these recent findings, the CPSC is urging all parents and caregivers to follow Pool Safely’s simple steps to keep children safer in and around the water:
- Never leave a child unattended in or near water, and always designate an adult Water Watcher to supervise at pools and spas, as well as when bathtubs, buckets, decorative ponds, and fountains. This person should not be reading, texting, using a phone or being otherwise distracted.
- If you own a pool or spa, install layers of protection, including barriers to prevent an unsupervised child from accessing the water. Homes can use door alarms, pool covers, self-closing, and self-latching devices on fence gates and doors that access pools.
- Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults.
- Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim.
- Keep children away from pool drains, pipes, and other openings to avoid entrapments.
- Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that comply with federal safety standards. If you do not know, ask your pool service provider about safer drain covers.
Undefeated Texas Swimming Pool Drowning Lawyers: Call 1-888-603-3636 for a Free Consult.
In addition to being undefeated, our Texas Swimming Pool Drowning Lawyers have recovered billions for personal injury and wrongful death victims in Texas and across the United States and consistently win record-breaking verdicts and settlements on their behalf.
If you were hurt or lost a loved one in a drowning-related accident, please call 1-888-603-3636 or click here to fill out our confidential contact form.
All consultations are free, and you won’t pay us a dime unless we win your case.