Summer is right around the corner, and families across Connecticut are eager to dive into swimming pool season.
But before you make that first splash, it’s essential to understand the risks that lurk when pool owners don’t take proper safety precautions. Knowing what to watch for—and what your rights are if someone gets hurt—can help keep your family’s summer memories happy ones.
Common pool safety mistakes that put people at risk
Often, pool accidents happen because of simple oversights that property owners could easily fix. For instance, some owners fail to keep their pools safe by:
- Failing to install or maintain proper barriers, like fences with self-closing and self-latching gates
- Ignoring slippery decks or pool edges that need repair or a non-slip surface
- Neglecting water quality, so that cloudy water hides underwater dangers or harmful bacteria that can irritate swimmers
- Not providing or keeping essential rescue equipment, like poles or life rings, in good, easy-to-reach spots
- Overlooking broken or non-compliant drain covers, which create strong suction that can trap swimmers
When pool owners ignore these basic safety points, they significantly increase the risk of a terrible accident.
Your rights under Connecticut premises liability law
Connecticut law requires pool owners to keep their property reasonably safe for visitors. This legal responsibility applies to both private homeowners and public facilities.
When someone gets hurt in a pool accident due to the owner’s negligence, injured people have the right to seek compensation. This can help cover:
- Medical bills and ongoing treatment
- Lost wages from missed work
- Pain and suffering
- Rehabilitation costs
Connecticut follows a “modified comparative negligence” rule. This means you can still recover damages even if you were partly responsible for the accident, as long as you (or the victim) weren’t more than 50% at fault.
Summer pool fun should create lasting memories for the right reasons. Knowing what hazards to look for and understanding your legal rights can help protect your family from preventable swimming pool accidents and hold the appropriate parties accountable if one should occur.