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Thomas DeLattre and Glen D. Wieland

What’s the most dangerous type of pool float?

On Behalf of | Jun 7, 2019 | Product Liability |

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published a report that shows that as many as 800 children die each year from drowning. This is one of the leading causes of preventable death among those in this age group. Children who are lucky enough to survive a water-related incident may be left with permanent injuries. Pool floaties are often responsible for them.

Swim floaties are one of the most dangerous types of floatation devices. They can be easily removed by children themselves. A child can easily drown within seconds after removing them.

They’re also dangerous because they give both you and your child a false sense of security. Many parents familiar with how floaties work assume that they’re going to provide immediate buoyancy for their kids when they get in the water. This is what they do when they’re used properly.

It’s far too easy for a hole to get punched in the floaties or for the air spout to open. They can quickly deflate. They make little to no noise as they do that, yet your child sinks further and further under the water’s surface.

Children may not notice that floaties are improperly inflated and slip them on their arms and run toward a pool. They may expect to float as soon as they enter the water and instead get dragged under its surface. Children who repeatedly use these may expect them to keep them afloat from experience. All it takes is them picking up a defective set of them and it can do the complete opposite.

Most floaties are nothing more than toys. They carry some of the same warnings including restrictions any other consumer products carry. There are floatation devices that are Coast Guard approved that may be better fitted to your child’s body. They can provide your children with better protection against drowning. These can be safely used while your child is mastering the art of swimming.

While some drowning incidents happen because a floatation device was used incorrectly, many occur because a device failed to perform as it should have. If you’ve lost a child in Orlando because the latter occurred, then a product liability attorney can advise you of your right to file a lawsuit in your case.

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