Although the following incident does not involve a Redwoods insured YMCA, we want to impress upon you the role each of us plays in providing a safe environment.
"News in brief from the [city] area"
A [name] County jury announced the award for the family of [victim] late Friday afternoon, concluding a trial that involved the [name] YMCA.
[Victim] was discovered face down in the YMCA's outdoor pool on June 8, 2001, during a party organized by her elementary school to celebrate the end of the school year.
She died at a hospital less then (sic) a month later of complications from the near drowning.
The family's attorney, [name], said the lifeguard on duty did not immediately notice that the girl needed help. "I think the key issue was how long was she underwater before she was discovered?" [attorney] asked (sic).
What we know:- another celebration became a tragedy... most drowning incidents at Ys are during parties or special events
- she wasn't rescued when she was in trouble... she was discovered face down in the water
- she didn't actually drown... she died nearly a month later of complications from her ordeal
- the judgment was significant... yet nowhere near the $8 million awarded in another jurisdiction for an incident that did not have almost a month of hospital costs and related pain and suffering
What we don't know: (our only knowledge of this incident is the above article... it preceded our Aquatic Alerts)- any details of the young lady... her size, whether she could swim, any medical or other challenges
- any details of the incident... water depth, presence of a safety line, whether she was swim-tested, guarding adequacy and attentiveness, training quality and frequency, the cause of her distress, how long she struggled, how long she was undiscovered, the protocols used in her rescue
What must be remembered:- this was another needless tragedy... children ought not die in guarded flat-water pools
- we must affect a change... we must demand safety and attentiveness on our pool decks
Please call us at 800-463-8546 to discuss this or any other risk management safety tip, or visit our web site at www.redwoodsgroup.com to learn more about YMCA risk management related issues. |