Tampa Bay Injury Attorney Blog
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a double drowning of two siblings at a Tampa hotel on Sunday.
Two siblings — a 12-year-old male and 17-year-old female — were pulled from the hotel swimming pool, both unresponsive around 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
The brother and sister had traveled with their family to Tampa from Dallas, Texas, with a large church group for a function.
Officials said deputies and fire rescue attempted to perform live-saving measures on the brother and sister. The boy was pronounced dead on scene and the girl was taken to Tampa General Hospital where she died Tuesday.
Summer is in full swing, and most Floridians or visitors to our home state are looking to cool off at the pool. Swimming pools are indeed one of the most popular places to be as swimming is one of the highlights of a summer vacation. Families vacationing in Florida often make the swimming pool their first stop after checking into their hotel room.
What you may not know is that on average, 400 children die every year from drowning in pools and spas across the United States. Emergency rooms treat an average of 5,100 children annually for injuries related to a drowning incident in swimming pools and spas.
While swimming pools can be a great way to beat the summer heat, they can also be the cause of terrible tragedies. Generally, a hotel must maintain a reasonably safe conditions for all areas, including swimming pools. This means they must warn of all possible dangers that might not be obvious. Hotels can be held liable for injuries or death if their pool areas do not comply with safety laws and requirements.
If your child has been harmed in a hotel swimming pool accident, our Tampa Bay Swimming Pool and Drowning Accident Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can help. Call us today at 727-823-0000 or contact us online for a free consultation.