CCD Law of Spokane safeguards families after they’ve lost a loved one to a drowning incident. We hold pool and lake owners and operators, and in some cases, city and state agencies, fully responsible for their negligence that leads to tragic drownings. Contact a skilled drowning accident attorney to get a free wrongful death case consultation. It’s an easy, no-obligation way to determine how to hold an insurance company fully responsible for your family’s hardships after a terrible accident.
Should I Call a Lawyer After Losing a Family Member in a Drowning?
Washington residents lose their lives in drowning accidents each year. These are incidents that often could be prevented if those in charge of pools, rivers, and lakes take more precautions to keep swimmers safe.
Your loved one’s death may have been caused by the negligence of a pool owner or operator or a state parks and rec department, but you’ll need to prove that before your family can count on full support in the aftermath.
The at-fault party could be a government agency or a hotel chain with access to corporate lawyers. These lawyers get paid to pin the blame for drownings on victims and to try to convince your family to accept as little as possible in a settlement check. You’ll want a lawyer representing your family with experience in standing up to businesses, corporate chains, and government officials. Your CCD Lawyer demands the maximum in support for your family members.
Drowning Dangers In and Around Spokane
When the temperatures rise in the summer, local residents start looking for spots where they can wade into water and cool off. They may take the kids to a city pool such as Shadle Aquatic Center. There are also pools at local hotels and at crowded water parks like Splash Down.
Others may choose to boat or swim at Liberty Lake or at Boulder Beach along the Spokane River. There are plenty of water sports to try at eastern Washington lakes and rivers and even more refreshing locations in Idaho.
Sadly, people drown in local waters each year, in many accidents that could have been prevented. When a death occurs, the family of the victim is often legally empowered to expect help from pool owners and operators.
Business owners who offer pool access or parks and recs departments over pools and parks are often found liable, but that doesn’t mean they’ll automatically provide compensation.
Your Spokane drowning accident lawyer investigates what happened and secures the strong evidence needed to stop an at-fault party and the party’s liability insurance from wiggling out of accountability.
What Kinds of Danger Can I Hold a Pool Owner Responsible For?
Swimmers need to take care when they enter the water, especially when playing in unpredictable lakes and streams. Yet, when people lose their lives in drowning accidents, there’s usually something the owners and operators of those bodies of water could have done to prevent the loss of life.
The City of Spokane, hotel owners and other business owners, and even federal forestry officials must show a legal “duty of care” to all customers and visitors. They must do as much as possible to reduce the amount of hazards their employees create, other guests cause, or mother nature may throw at swimmers.
When this duty of care is neglected, owners and operators can face a wrongful death case. A wrongful death case is filed over a death that someone else’s mistake caused.
To prevent these accidents, owners must keep swimmers safe while in the water, and warn them away when there are life-threatening hazards they might not be aware of. There are many other circumstances in which a property owner may be held responsible:
Pool Liability – Some pool operators are liable for drownings if there are no lifeguards present, or not enough lifeguards. Those lifeguards may not have gotten the training they need. Owners are also responsible for pool maintenance to make sure drains, pumps, and other equipment can’t hold someone underwater. Homeowners with pools may be responsible for deaths caused to trespassers when they don’t have barriers to keep curious children from sneaking into pools.
Lake and River Liability — Warning signs at state parks and along rivers alerting visitors to swift currents, steep banks, extreme depths, and underwater obstructions. Government agencies and property owners must post “no swimming” signs when conditions are too dangerous to go into the water. Owners may be responsible for drownings if they don’t put up barriers to keep people out of areas. Owners might be responsible if they don’t provide security to keep people out of dangerous stretches of water. Farmers could be responsible for not preventing people from entering unsafe ponds and for drowning risks for workers.
Owners and employees at water parks, pool owners, and those who operate docks must also monitor for slip-and-fall hazards around water. A spilled drink or water tracked across cement by swimmers could send someone into the water after taking a fall or hitting their head. People can enter the water while unconscious and face near-drowning injuries or death.
Your skilled CCD Law lawyer would identify every party that played a role in an accident and demand the most possible to help families rebuild their lives.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Drowning in Washington State?
There may be more than one private and public entity liable for a loved one’s death. Your CCD lawyer identifies every responsible party and files multiple claims if necessary. This gives families a better chance of securing all of the money they need to pay current damages and those hardships that will arise in the future.
These are just a few of the parties that could be responsible for providing your family with a settlement check:
- Property owners and homeowners responsible for pools, ponds, and lakes.
- HOA or Apartment Management Companies in charge of community pools and lakes.
- Recreation business owners. Owners of waterparks, boat and paddleboard rental companies.
- Hotel chains and resort owners.
- The City of Spokane
- County, State, and Federal Agencies
Suing Government Agencies After a Drowning at a City Pool or a State Park
A heartbreaking drowning at a city-maintained pool or a body of water can leave the City of Spokane, county officials, and state or federal government liable for deaths that should have been prevented.
However, government agencies enjoy stronger protections from wrongful death litigation than businesses and homeowners.
With a case involving a government department, the statute of limitations applied to a lawsuit may be much shorter. Close relatives could only have months to file a lawsuit. In some cases, you may have to pre-file to seek permission from the government to file a claim.
These cases can be tricky. It’s usually a good idea for families to rely on skilled attorneys to handle negotiations with government lawyers. The family’s lawyer can handle the frustrating claims process, while those left behind are allowed to grieve in peace.
Compensation Available for Families After a Tragic Drowning
Your Crary & Domanico, P.S., representative creates a full list of your family’s hardships faced after the loss of life. Every damage a spouse and children of the victim must endure should be included in a wrongful death claim or lawsuit.
It’s an important step because anything left off can be a cost the family would have to cover. These expenses and difficulties should all be the responsibility of the at-fault party and the party’s insurance provider.
Your lawyer ensures that these and other hardships are all considered when reaching a fair amount for a wrongful death settlement check or court judgment:
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Loss of future earnings that would have supported the family
- Money to pay leftover medical bills and ambulance fees
- Support for a family’s emotional suffering
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file a wrongful death claim after a drowning?
Washington gives families up to three years to file a wrongful death claim. If families miss this deadline, the case would likely be thrown out. Remember that lawsuits involving the City of Spokane may have a much shorter statute of limitations.
What if my family can’t afford a drowning accident lawyer?
You won’t need to worry about paying a CCD Lawyer until we’ve won your case for you. We only get paid if we are successful on your behalf. Then our fee comes out of the drowning settlement your family receives.
Can parents seek support if a child is taken in a tragic drowning?
Yes. After a devastating accident that claims a child’s life, the parents are allowed to file a wrongful death claim. They’d seek support for the future loss of love and companionship the child would have provided in coming years and into adulthood.
Contact a Spokane Drowning Accident Attorney
Speak with a Spokane Drowning Accident Lawyer at CCD Law about your case as soon as possible before evidence disappears and witnesses become hard to locate. Contact us to receive a free case consultation. It’s an easy way to find out how to hold negligent property and business owners fully accountable after a heartbreaking drowning incident.
There’s no obligation and your case review is completely confidential. We want to stand by your family during this difficult time. CCD Law fights to see families receive the support they need to rebuild their lives. We also work carefully and compassionately to cause as little disruption to families as possible so they can mourn their losses in peace.
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