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Was your child or family member hurt in a swimming pool accident?

If someone you love was hurt, or worse, in a pool or spa, we are so sorry.

Are you in an emergency right now?

  • Get the person out of the water right away if it is safe to do so.
  • Call 911.
  • Start CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) if you are trained and the person is not breathing.
  • Get medical care even if the person seems fine. Complications from water in the lungs can appear hours later.
  • This page is for after you are safe.

This page covers pool accident claims and what to do right now. We are the injured person's advocate. We connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves. Always free. Talk to an advocate. We usually reply within minutes, at most one business day.

Pool accidents are different from most injury cases because so many victims are young children, and because the law in most states treats pools as a special kind of danger.

Why pool cases are treated differently

Many states recognize a general legal idea sometimes called "attractive nuisance." In plain terms, courts have long understood that young children are drawn to water and cannot always judge the danger it poses, so property owners may face a higher duty of care around pools than around other hazards. This is a general legal concept, not legal advice about your situation, and how it applies varies by state.

The numbers show why this matters. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages one to four in the United States (CDC). From 2021 to 2023, an average of 376 children under 15 fatally drowned in pool- or spa-related incidents each year, and nearly 80% of those children were under age five (CPSC). Most fatal drownings involving children happen in swimming pools rather than spas, and about 81% happen at a residential property, including a home, a family member's home, or a neighbor's home (CPSC). For every child who dies from drowning, about seven more are treated in an emergency department for a nonfatal drowning, and some of those children suffer lasting brain injury from lack of oxygen (CDC).

Pool cases often involve missing fences, broken gate latches, no pool alarm, or no lifeguard where one was expected. Evidence about the pool's condition and safety equipment matters enormously, and it can change or disappear (a gate gets fixed, a fence gets repaired) once the immediate danger is addressed.

What real pool accident cases have paid

These are publicly reported settlements and verdicts in premises cases involving pools and similar hazards. They are examples only, not a promise of what any case is worth. Outcomes vary enormously and depend on the specific facts.

Because publicly reported pool-specific verdicts with detailed news coverage are less common than other premises cases, we encourage you to review our state pages for guidance specific to your situation, and to speak with a licensed professional about what evidence and history apply to your case. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice.

Talk to an advocate. You do not have to sort out what happened alone.

Understanding what happened is not your fault

National reporting on drowning prevention has repeatedly found that many pool deaths happen in seconds, during a brief lapse in supervision, often at a private home or an apartment complex pool the family trusted to be safe. Public health researchers describe drowning as "quick and silent," rarely looking like the splashing and shouting seen in movies, which is part of why it is so often missed until it is too late (CDC, Drowning Facts).

Parents and caregivers in these situations often blame themselves. The data tells a different story: pool drownings are a well-documented, common, and largely preventable public health problem, not a sign that a caregiver failed to pay enough attention. When a property owner has not maintained required fencing, gates, or supervision, the responsibility for that failure belongs with them, not the family. Photograph the pool's fencing, gates, and safety equipment before repairs are made.

What to do in the first days

  1. Get the near-drowning documented by a doctor, even if it seems to resolve.
  2. Talk to an advocate at WeHelpInjured. It is free.
  3. Photograph the pool area: fencing, gate latches, any posted rules, alarms, and depth markers, before repairs are made.
  4. Find out who owns and manages the pool (a homeowner, a landlord, an apartment complex, a hotel, a public facility) and whether there is a history of prior incidents.
  5. Get names and contact information for anyone who witnessed what happened.
  6. Keep every medical record, including emergency room and follow-up visits.
  7. Warning: don't wait! Your filing deadline is a trap, and waiting too long can end your claim. Deadlines vary by state, and some claims involving minors have different rules. And important: if the injury involved medical treatment, a separate, often shorter medical deadline may apply. See our state pages for details.

Never do these

What we can help with

All of it is free to you. We never take money from injured people.

Talk to an advocate. We know this is one of the hardest things a family can go through. Let us help carry some of it.

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