Texas Accident & Injury News
When are facilities responsible for a drowning injury?
2-Year-Old Boy Drowns in a Gated Community Pool on the North Side
According to a KSAT News report, authorities are investigating the drowning of a toddler on the North Side last week.
Articles Tagged with Swimming pool safety
Driver of the Vehicle Pulled from the Guadalupe River Identified
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?
Dangerous chemical leak at Houston-area Splashtown Sends Dozens to Hospitals
Dangerous chemical leak at Houston-area Splashtown Sends Dozens to Hospitals
July 19, 2021: Spring, Texas–A chemical leak at a Houston-area water park left dozens suffering from minor skin irritation and respiratory issues Saturday, authorities said.
Emergency personnel vehicles responded to the scene where people are being treated after a chemical leak at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown Saturday, July 17, 2021 in Spring, Texas just north of Houston.
New Danger for Swimmers This Summer Due to a Lack of Lifeguards
Friday, July 2, 2021, Texas: As Americans head back to beaches and pools this summer, there is a new warning for families: Swim at their own risk. Some parts of the country are experiencing a dire lifeguard shortage. Pool openings were actually delayed in Texas with reported that hundreds of lifeguard jobs were still available in early June.
Tom Gill, Vice President of the U.S. Lifesaving Association, said, “There’s no substitute for safety, and the lifeguards are a part of the safety chain. The pandemic is largely to blame for the shortage. Towns are not able to hire, train, and certify new lifeguards fast enough, just as more Americans are flocking to waterfront destinations for the summer.”
Some pools have closed due to staffing shortages. A few facilities have posted notices on Facebook and websites turning away eager pool-goers. In Austin, Texas, the rapidly growing city is trying to stay afloat with just 250 lifeguards registered with the city compared to 750 in a typical year. “We just don’t have the time to get the lifeguards trained and on the payroll for this summer,” said Jodi Jay of Austin Parks and Recreation.
CHLORINE SHORTAGE COULD CAUSE DANGERS THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND AS THE SUMMER SEASON KICKS OFF FOR POOLS, RESORTS AND WATERPARKS
May 24, 2021, San Antonio, TX – Every summer families head to the beaches, lakes and pools to beat the heat and cool off. Summer fun also means a serious focus on summer safety. Texas had the deadliest rate of child pool and spa drownings in 2019 for children under age 15. Drowning can happen anywhere which makes it necessary for everyone to practice water safety.
Just last week a two-year-old toddler died after squeezing through a safety gate and falling into a swimming pool here in Texas and another drowning tragedy involving toddlers occurred in Florida at a daycare center. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), drowning is one of the top causes of unintentional deaths for children in the U.S. There are nearly 400 pool-related drownings per year involving children.
In the U.S. drowning takes an average of 3,500-4,000 lives per year. That is nearly 10 fatal drownings per day. The CDC reports an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings annually in the U.S. An additional 332 people die each year from drowning in boat-related incidents.