Drowning Accidents

Personal Injury Lawyers Serving Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff and all Arizona communities

Every year, thousands of people in the United States die from a drowning accident. In 2005 alone, 3582 people passed away from injuries sustained from drowning. Though most people associate this type of tragedy with death, not all drowning victims suffer fatal injuries from their accidents. Instead, they may endure damaging brain injuries that, in many cases, cause permanent disability.

It is important for adults and children alike to familiarize themselves with common causes of drowning. This way, they can take precautionary steps to prevent these dangerous accidents from happening.

Risk Factors

According to studies performed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the following factors have been cited as issues that can increase one’s chances of drowning:

• Use of alcohol – this substance plays a very large role in many adult drowning and boating fatalities
• Lack of lifeguards or adult supervision
• Lack of barriers inside and outside of the water
• Medical disorders (seizures)
• Poor boating decisions – lack of life jackets, for example