North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog

17-year-old Anthony Hayes died earlier this month in what appears to be a North Carolina drowning accident at High Point pool. City officials are trying to determine exactly what happened at the Washington Terrace Park Pool. Hayes did not know how to swim.

The Parks and Recreation Department says five lifeguards were on duty at the pool on the day of the accident, and it was one of them that pulled the teenager out from the deep end. The lifeguards performed CPR on Hayes until emergency workers arrived at the scene.

He was treated at two hospitals, one at High Point and the other in Winston-Salem, before he was pronounced dead.

According to accounts of some of the people who were at the pool when the drowning incident happened, Hayes was on the diving board when he fell, struck his head, became unconscious, and fell into the water.

Drowning Accidents
Now that summer is here it is so important that pool owners make sure that their pools are properly supervised and that there is someone at the pool, whether a lifeguard or an experienced adult, that knows what to do in the event that someone gets hurts or drowns while in the water. They also must make sure there are no hazards in or around the pool that can contribute to any injuries or deaths. It takes just minutes underwater for a person who survives a near –drowning accident to sustain a permanent traumatic brain injury.

Drowning accidents can occur in private pools, public swimming pools, spas, hot tubs, wading pools, and in other bodies of water. The owners and/or supervisors can be held liable for North Carolina personal injury or wrongful death if negligence played a part in the drowning accident.

City reviews drowning accident at local pool, Charlotte News 14, June 7, 2010

Family Reacts To Fatal Accident At High Point Pool, Digtriad, June 5, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Swimming Pools, Guilford County Department of Public Health

Summer Pool Safety Tips, ABC News, June 18, 2010