It’s summertime, and that means that the weather is heating up! One of the best ways to cool down while having fun is by taking a dip in a swimming pool, and if you’re invited to a friend’s pool party, that’s even better – unless you end up suffering a personal injury. When a person invites you to a pool party at their home, they assume a legal duty of care to make sure that it is reasonably safe for its anticipated use. That means that the pool needs to be maintained well and all repairs need to be made to ensure that it is safe and fit for swimming. It also means that if there are dangers that any of the owners’ guests are not aware of, the owner has a responsibility to warn about them in order to prevent personal injury.
Owning a pool is a big responsibility, especially when it comes to the safety of others. Not only do pool owners need to worry about their guests, there are also concerns about children wandering onto their property uninvited without being aware of the dangers of drowning. Though a pool owner has no responsibility to trespassers who enter their pool without permission, the same is not true if the uninvited person is a guest. This is why it is essential that homeowners who have pools take appropriate precautions to keep children from entering their property. A high privacy fence usually does the trick, though many pool owners take the added precaution of installing a pool alarm that sounds when anybody enters the water.
Pool owners are not responsible for every injury that happens on their property. Certain injuries are considered obvious or well known, so if a guest is hurt while diving into obviously shallow water or while running on a slippery pool deck, it is unlikely that the owner will be found negligent, especially if the person who has been hurt has been acting in a reckless way. By the same token, if a pool has hidden that are not obvious, such as a sliding board with a jagged edge or even chemicals that are inappropriate applied that cause chemical burns, the owner can be held legally responsible if they have not provided appropriate warnings or kept people away from these dangers.
If you’ve been injured at a pool party and you believe it was a result of the owner’s negligence, we can help. Contact us today to learn more about your rights.
