Have you sustained injuries in a swimming pool accident in Atlanta? You may have a legal claim against the property owner or other party at fault for the accident. However, pursuing compensation for your injuries and losses can become challenging when insurers and corporations fight hard to avoid liability.
Having an experienced attorney on your side can give you the support you need to demand accountability. Turn to a swimming pool accident lawyer in Atlanta from Bayuk Pratt for the legal advice and advocacy you need to work through the claims process. We know what it takes to win accident cases, and our dedicated approach has enabled us to recover over $300 million in settlements and verdicts for our clients.
Our legal team has over 50 years of combined experience in high-stakes injury litigation. But we also have an edge against the deep-pocketed insurers who stand in the way of full and fair compensation for accident victims. Firm founders Frank Bayuk and Bradley Pratt hold unique insight into how insurance companies build defense cases — because they used to be the ones who did it. They use this insider knowledge to help those who truly need it: people like you who demand justice and accountability for someone else’s negligence.
After suffering trauma in a swimming pool accident, get legal help to pursue the financial resources you need for your recovery. Contact Bayuk Pratt for a free initial case evaluation to discuss how an Atlanta swimming pool accident attorney can help you obtain compensation for your medical bills, lost income, emotional distress, and pain and suffering.
Why You Should Hire an Atlanta Swimming Pool Accident Attorney
After a swimming pool accident, you may face a long road to recovery from severe injuries. You could require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation. When the accident occurred due to another party’s negligence or fault, you may have a swimming pool injury claim against that party.
Balancing your time between pursuing medical care and legal claims can become challenging. However, by hiring legal counsel, you’ll benefit from having an advocate who will handle the details of your legal claims to free you to focus on healing. Let an Atlanta swimming pool accident lawyer from Bayuk Pratt pursue the compensation and justice you deserve by:
- Thoroughly investigating the circumstances of the accident and obtaining evidence our firm can use to build your legal case
- Helping you gather your medical records, bills, invoices, receipts, and pay stubs to document your injuries and calculate your ongoing and future expenses and losses
- Reviewing the facts and evidence in your case to identify potentially liable parties and evaluate your legal options for financial recovery, such as an at-fault party’s insurance coverage
- Using our experience in insurance defense to develop tailored case strategies to defeat the insurance company’s case
- Filing your claims and dealing with insurance adjusters and defense lawyers to take the stress of the claims process off your shoulders and let you focus on your treatment and rehab
- Vigorously pursuing maximum compensation for you, whether through a negotiated settlement or by going to court to demand justice
When you have Bayuk Pratt on your side, you get a distinct legal edge for your case. Firm founders Frank Bayuk and Bradley Pratt have unique insight into how insurance companies build defense cases. As former senior partners for some of the country’s most elite defense law firms, they became experts in defending against injury claims. They founded Bayuk Pratt to leverage their knowledge and experience to stand up for the rights of accident victims and give them a critical advantage in pursuing financial recovery from insurers and corporations.
At Bayuk Pratt, we understand the financial consequences you may experience after sustaining severe injuries in a swimming pool accident. Although we will work to get you the compensation you deserve through a negotiated settlement, our experienced litigators are ready to take your claims to court and trial to get you the most favorable results possible, given the circumstances of your case.
What Kinds of Damages Can I Pursue in a Swimming Pool Accident Case?
When you’ve been hurt in a swimming pool accident, you may have a claim to recover swimming pool injury compensation. Filing a premises liability lawsuit may provide you with financial recovery for your:
- Costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation, including hospitalization, surgery, prescriptions, pain management care, doctor appointments, medical or orthopedic equipment, and physical or occupational therapy
- Costs of long-term disability care, including home health care, replacement services like housekeeping, or home renovations to install disability accommodations
- Lost income
- Loss of future earning potential and employment benefits if you become permanently disabled
- Physical pain and anguish from your injuries and medical treatments
- Emotional trauma and distress
- Loss of enjoyment or quality of life due to physical disabilities or permanent scarring and disfigurement
In rare cases, the court may award punitive damages in a lawsuit after a swimming pool accident. Punitive damages do not compensate you for financial or personal losses. Instead, punitive damages punish a liable party for willful, wanton, or reckless conduct and aim to deter others from engaging in similar conduct.
How Common Are Pool Accidents?
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that:
- An average of 371 fatal pool- or spa-related drownings occur each year among children under 15.
- An estimated 6,400 non-fatal drownings of children under 15 occur annually, with around 6,300 of these requiring emergency room or hospital treatment.
- About 76 percent of non-fatal pool drownings involve children under 5.
- Approximately 80 percent of fatal child pool drownings occur in residential settings, such as the child’s home or the home of a family member, friend, or neighbor.
Who Could Be Liable for a Swimming Pool Accident in Atlanta?
Depending on the circumstances of a swimming pool accident, such as whether the accident occurred in a private residence or at a public swimming pool, various parties may bear responsibility for an accident victim’s injuries.
Examples of parties you might hold liable for a swimming pool accident under Georgia’s premises liability laws include:
- A homeowner
- A water or theme park owner or operator
- A fitness facility owner or operator
- A school, college, or university
- A hotel owner or operator
- A swimming pool manufacturer or contractor
- Pool equipment manufacturers
- Pool toy manufacturers
- Lifeguards
- A local government that operates a public pool
- A pool maintenance company
To hold parties liable for the injuries you sustained in a swimming pool accident, you may need to present evidence that proves a party’s fault for the accident, such as:
- Accident scene photos and videos
- Accident or incident reports
- Eyewitness testimony
- Staffing records
- Pool inspection, repair, and maintenance records
- Accident reconstruction and medical expert reports and testimony
How Long Do I Have to File a Swimming Pool Accident Lawsuit in Georgia?
Under the statute of limitations in Georgia, you typically have two years to file a swimming pool injury lawsuit against a negligent pool owner or another liable party. But things are different if you have a swimming pool injury case against a local government when an accident occurs at a public pool. In that case, you may have a shorter deadline to file a written notice of your claim with the relevant government entity.
If you file your lawsuit after the limitations period, you may lose the opportunity to seek financial recovery. You can protect your legal right to compensation by contacting an Atlanta swimming pool accident lawyer from Bayuk Pratt as soon as possible after an accident to ensure you file your claims before applicable deadlines expire.
What Are Common Types of Swimming Pool Accidents?
People can suffer injuries or other medical complications due to various types of swimming pool accidents, such as:
- Slip-and-fall accidents
- Trip-and-fall accidents
- Diving accidents
- Drowning
- Pool drain accidents
- Toxic chemical exposure
- Pool toy entrapment
- Defective product or equipment accidents
What Are Common Causes of Swimming Pool Accidents?
Many swimming pool accidents occur due to negligent maintenance or oversight by the pool owners or careless or reckless behavior by other swimmers. Some of the top causes of swimming pool accidents include:
- Lack of pool fencing or covers
- Broken pool fence or gate locks
- Improper storage of pool chemicals
- Inadequate pool maintenance
- Broken pool equipment, including diving boards or slides
- Slippery pool deck surfaces
- Inadequate supervision or a lack of lifeguards
- Drug or alcohol intoxication
- Inadequate lighting
- Lack of flotation devices or other safety equipment
- Contaminated pool water
- Defective pool design or construction
- Defective pool equipment
- Drain entrapment
- Overcrowding
- Lack of warning signs or safety information, such as pool depth markers
What Are Common Types of Injuries Resulting from Swimming Pool Accidents?
A pool accident can lead to various kinds of injuries, such as:
- Lacerations
- Contusions
- Broken bones
- Dislocated joints
- Ligament sprains or tears
- Muscle or tendon strains or tears
- Herniated spinal disc injuries
- Nerve damage
- Vision or hearing damage
- Internal organ injuries and internal bleeding
- Facial injuries
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Hypoxic or anoxic brain injuries
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Chemical burns
- Illnesses from toxic exposure or viral or bacterial infection