Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Coping with a Child's Swimming Pool Accident (Part A)
The parents and families of swimming pool accident victims can be overwhelmed with feelings of grief, helplessness and guilt.
If your child has suffered personal injuries or drowned in a swimming pool accident, you will be overcome with a range of emotions. Most families coping with swimming pool accidents will have to deal with the following considerations at some point.
Dealing With New Living Circumstances
If your child was injured in a pool or diving accident, there could be permanent or disabling injuries. Many drowning-related pool accidents cause brain damage, depending how long the child was deprived of oxygen. Diving accidents also often result in facial paralysis.
If these serious personal injuries occurred, the child may need round-the-clock personal care.
If Your Child Has Suffered Disability as a Result of a Swimming Pool Accident
The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities provides resources for families who are caring for a disabled child, including information on hiring a private nurse, obtaining speech and mobility therapy and finding special education centers.
If your child is paralyzed after a diving accident, you may also need to alter your home to make it handicap-accessible. The Disabled Children’s Relief Fund provides grants to families of disabled children to purchase things like wheelchairs, lifts or pay for physical therapy. The Massachusetts government also offers the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, which helps families pay for the care of a disabled child.
If Your Child Was Killed in a Swimming Pool Accident
If your child has died from injuries in a swimming pool accident, you may be trying to deal with funeral preparations while you are overwhelmed with grief. Don’t be hesitant to reach out to friends and family for help. Those who know about the pool accident will help you in any way they can.
Funeral Planning and Expenses
According to NPR, the average funeral costs $5,000 – not including a head stone and burial plot. The Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association has a list of resources so you know what you’re getting into when planning your child’s funeral. In many cases, a pool safety lawsuit can cover your child’s funeral expenses if another person’s negligence caused the pool accident.
If your child drowned or was seriously injured due to negligence, you should consult with a Boston personal injury attorney who specializes in child swimming pool accidents and drownings in Massachusetts.
It is important that the Boston child injury lawyer has handled these types of cases and that the attorney understands the intricacies of swimming pool accident cases.
Continue to Coping with a Child's Swimming Pool Accident (Part B) >>
