Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
A child remains in critical condition after being pulled from a pool Monday in Pembroke Pines, officials say.
The incident happened around 6 p.m. at a home near Southwest 69th Avenue and 12th Street. When emergency responders arrived, they found a 3-year-old had been pulled from the pool in cardiac arrest, according to local media reporting.
The child remains in critical condition and no names have been released.
Additional details including how the child may have gotten into the pool were not immediately available Wednesday.
Pool drownings among young children remain a critical safety concern in Florida after a summer marked by numerous tragic incidents and the deaths of several children throughout the state.
Leesfield & Partners
With offices throughout Florida, Leesfield & Partners attorneys have handled numerous tragic childhood drowning cases over the last 49 years. In that time, our attorneys have worked tirelessly on behalf of grieving families whose lives have been forever changed by these preventable tragedies. The firm has secured numerous record verdicts and settlements in these cases and has worked to highlight this pressing safety issue.
Leesfield & Partners has a strong track record in handling drowning cases, particularly those involving children. Our skilled trial attorneys focus on holding responsible parties accountable for negligence and advocate for improved water safety measures. The firm regularly posts safety advisories on the digital board outside of its Miami office on U.S. 1, which is seen by thousands of commuters daily. These advisories include safety tips such as ensuring children are always dressed in brightly colored swimwear so that they are easier to spot in the water and reminding parents to never leave toys in or near the water, which presents a risk for curious children who may fall in while trying to reach the item.
This summer in particular, the Sunshine State has seen numerous back-to-back pool drowning incidents involving children 5 years old and younger. These preventable and tragic incidents have left families forever fractured and grieving the devastating loss of a child, something no parent should ever have to experience.
In an ongoing case, Partner Justin B. Shapiro and Eric Shane, a Trial Attorney at the firm, are representing a family whose 2-year-old drowned at a Central Florida pool.
Previous Cases
Leesfield & Partners obtained a historic settlement in a case involving a swimming pool incident at a Hotel Resort Orlando in Osceola County. In that case, our client’s son was swimming when he was caught in the suction of the pool’s drain. The child could not be removed because the hotel failed to have an emergency shut off switch.
For nearly 10 minutes, our client’s child remained underwater. As a result, he was later diagnosed with brain damage that would require life-long medical care. This case, which was handled by Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, is the largest result of its kind in Osceola County.
One family was forever changed when a father and husband lost his wife and two young daughters due to the U.S. Navy’s failure to maintain its pier in a safe condition.
“Ivan Grayson, tormented by the mind-numbing horror of the tragedy that wiped his family from the face of the earth, desperately needs to know why this happened,” U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King said of the case.
Grayson was awarded $2.95 million for the loss of his family.
Previously, the firm secured a seven-figure settlement for a family whose toddler drowned in South Florida. In that case, an inadequately installed child safety fence around the pool was found at the home.
The firm also represented the widow of a man who drowned while on a tour with a Florida boat company. The firm secured a $575,000 settlement in that case.
Swimming Safety Tips
- All pools should be equipped with child safety fences and locks.
- Adults should take a CPR course to know what to do in case of an emergency.
- Invest in swimming classes and water safety courses for children and adults. No one expects tragedy but knowing what to do in case of an emergency can save a life.
- Dress children in brightly colored swimsuits so that, if the unthinkable happens, they are easier to spot in the water.
- Make sure all external doors leading to a pool area or body of water like a lake or ocean are equipped with proper locks and alarms that way, even if a child manages to unlock the door, you will know that it has been opened.
If your loved one was involved in a drowning incident in Florida, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today at 800-836-6400 to see if you may be eligible to make a claim
