Early Swimming Lessons May Prevent Orange County Drownings

By Allen Flatt Ballidis & Leslie on June 22, 2010

For many Southern Californians, summer is the time to head to the pool or the beach. However, it is important for parents to keep in mind that drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional, inury-related death for children under the age of nineteen.

New data shows that early swim training lowers the rates of drowning in children under four. However, a study conducted by the University of Memphis found that many children – particularly African American children – do not know how to swim.

The study surveyed more than 2,000 children and parents at YMCA’s at six cities across the United States. The cities included Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Memphis, Minneapolis and San Diego. Researchers found that while 40 percent of white children have little or no swimming ability, as much as 70 percent of African-American children have low or no swimming ability. For Latino children, the rate was 58 percent.

The lack of swimming ability is reflected in drownings. African American children drown at three times the rate of white children.

Signing your children up for swimming lessons can help prevent swimming pool deaths. You should also always supervise young children while at the beach or pool. At public pools you should check that the life guard is on-duty and alert and that there is proper life-saving equipment.

If your child is injured or drowns in a public swimming pool because of a lack of safety equipment or negligent supervision, you may have a personal injury or wrongful death case. Contact the Orange County personal injury attorneys at Allen Flatt Ballidis & Leslie to learn more about your rights.