TEXAS, USA — Texas had the most drowning fatalities involving children last year, matching the number of deaths in Florida, a survey said.
Sixty-five percent of all drownings happened in June, July and August, according to the most recent CDC data. Thirty percent of these injuries happened in July alone.
Almost half of children under 15 who survived but were injured in a drowning incident were at a residential pool, a team of analysts at QuoteWizard said in a new survey.
In summer 2018, the states with the most child drowning fatalities were:
- Florida (21)
- Texas (21)
- California (11)
- Arizona (7)
- Tennessee (6)
- Illinois (6)
- New Jersey (5)
The analysts called swimming pools at homes an “attractive nuisance,” since they cause a dramatic increase in homeowner’s liability insurance costs.
Backyard pools are where the majority of drowning injuries involving children happen, the analysts said. While public pools have a lifeguard on duty, residential pools are not always supervised and have a higher liability risk for the homeowner.
More kids may be in a pool together during summer backyard barbecues with friends and family—making it harder to keep track of them.
Experts recommend homeowners follow these steps to protect their guests from danger and minimize liability.
- Don't hesitate to stop guests from doing something dangerous around the pool
- Have a list of rules and safety instructions
- Ask guests about their swimming capabilities
- Pair guests who are not strong swimmers with someone who is
- Make sure you and your family know basic water rescue skills like first aid and CPR
- Keep an eye on the pool at all times.
Remove toys from the pool when no one is using them
Homeowners might not realize when someone is injured on their property, home insurance liability covers medical bills and civil settlements.
The standard HO-3 home insurance policy comes with $100,000 in liability coverage, the analysts said. Experts recommend increasing your coverage to $500,000 or more. Some insurance companies have an umbrella liability policy up to one million dollars for all insurance, including auto.
Increasing coverage from $100,000 to $500,000 is only a 10 percent increase in most premiums, the analysts said.
