Drowning injuries can lead to permanent disability.
(February 27, 2023) Police identified the body of Noel Hernandez (29) after recovering his body from the Guadalupe River in Seguin. According to MYSA News, the Seguin public information officer Jennifer Sourdellia stated that the department received a call after a speeding vehicle on I10 was spotted losing control and tumbling off the bridge and into the Guadalupe River at around 2 a.m. on Thursday, February 9. It took the police several hours to find and extract the vehicle and the deceased driver from the river. As far as they could tell, there were no other passengers, and no injuries were reported from this tragic accident.
Did You Know?
The CDC reports that drowning is the second unintentional injury cause of death for children ages 5-14 in the United States, with auto accidents being the first.
Drowning Injuries and Auto Accidents
While children are at high risk for drowning, it is not an event exclusive to children. Anyone can drown, and swimming pools are not the only place it can happen. In fact, the NHTSA reports that slightly more than 300 people die every year due to automobile submersion. Every time you choose to drive a vehicle, there are certain risks involved, and injury is always a possibility. Even though submerged vehicles only account for less than 1 percent of all auto accidents, that’s still 10,000 incidents a year, and sinking vehicles are the cause of 10 percent of all fatal drownings in the United States.
Drowning Injuries
Drowning is not always a fatal event. Drowning can result in injuries that may fully heal and leave no side effects for the victim. However, drowning can lead to severe injuries like brain trauma, which can leave an individual disabled for life. Unfortunately, there are roughly 8,000 cases of non-fatal drowning every year, which averages out to nearly 22 injured every single day in the United States. Nearly forty percent of these non-fatal drownings also result in hospitalization and transfer for further care – quite the difference from the only ten percent for all other types of personal injury.
Drowning Injury and Alcohol
Men account for eighty percent of people who die from drowning. Of course, there are many possible reasons for this, including the fact that men usually have increased exposure to risky activities and water exposure and consume more alcohol than women. Most people are aware that consuming alcohol leads to a decreased ability to function, including a loss of coordination, which is why it is illegal to operate a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Unfortunately, as many Texans know all too well, people drink and operate vehicles all the time. The result? Alcohol use is involved in the following:
- Almost 70 percent of all water recreation deaths, such as boating or swimming,
- Almost 25 percent of all emergency room visits for drowning and,
- Nearly one in five of all reported boating fatalities.
Learn more about drowning and how to prevent it at the CDC Website.
Personal Injury Attorneys in San Antonio
Drowning injuries can lead to permanent disability for the victims. If you have suffered a drowning injury or have tragically lost a loved one in a drowning accident, it may have been due to another party’s negligence. Contact the personal injury attorneys at Carabin Shaw today at 800-862-1260 if you have suffered a drowning injury in San Antonio or the surrounding area. We look forward to serving you.