Connecticut Personal Injury: Student Drowning

CT Post is reporting today that a 22 year old UConn student is in critical condition after he was pulled from the pool at the Stamford YMCA around 4 p.m. Friday after a friend he was swimming with noticed he was underwater. Aquatic danger and pool safety has been scrutinized in many tragic Connecticut cases, with experts identifying three primary causes of drowning in a controlled environment: unsafe conditions, unsafe acts and errors in judgment. Our office resolved a case for the family of a high school student in which all three errors were the cause of the student’s drowning. The student was submerged for more than 10 minutes while other students were engaged in athletic training in the pool.  Student drowning cases in Connecticut resulted in the enactment of a law requiring public schools to have dedicated lifeguards on duty in addition to a coach or person conducting a student activity while students are in the pool. The recent incident at the Stamford YMCA is under investigation, but the this video demonstrates how difficult it can be to see a swimmer who has slipped under the surface, and why lifeguards must be properly trained, watchful and alert at all times.