Aitken Redesign

By Casey Johnson

As the weather warms up, people will naturally look to cool off by spending time in a swimming pool. This is particularly true in Southern California. While swimming pools can provide relief from the heat (and an excellent place to get much-needed exercise), many pools pose a significant danger to users.

Both private and public pools are governed by specific regulations designed to ensure they are safe for users. Despite these rules, many pools are improperly designed or maintained.

For private pools, such as a pool in the backyard of a single family home, California law requires multiple safety mechanisms to ensure that an uncovered pool cannot be easily accessed. Despite these requirements, pool owners oftentimes disable security systems or take down obstructive fencing to enhance the look of the pool. Although this may make a backyard look nicer, it also makes the pool a drowning hazard, especially for young children.

Public pools including resort or hotel pools and community association pools also frequently fail to comply with basic safety requirements, thereby becoming dangerous to pool users. Oftentimes, shortcuts are made at the time the pool is constructed, omitting clearly visible warnings such as deck-mounted depth markers and “no diving” tiles. Additionally, no diving signs are required to be posted at pools that are not deep enough for safe diving. Despite these clear requirements, operators of public pools commonly purchase cheap signs that fade quickly and are rendered unreadable – thereby violating the law and failing to provide much needed warnings to pool users.

Public pools also have very specific rules regarding pool access and pool lighting – again, designed for the safety of pool users. Violations of these rules make the pools unsafe for users and create a significant risk of injury or death.

Aitken*Aitken*Cohn has successfully handled numerous pool injury cases and secured significant recoveries for our clients to provide for their future care needs. If you or someone you know has been injured in a pool, you should contact a Santa Ana personal injury attorney immediately.