Drowning
During the hot summer months, swimming becomes a popular method of cooling off. In Texas, especially, where the temperatures frequently reach the 90s or 100s, many families and individuals choose to dive into local springs and pools in order to beat the heat. While water activities can provide a large amount of joy and pleasure, they can also be quite dangerous for those who have been consuming alcohol or individuals who do not know how to swim. Drowning incidents are surprisingly common, and they claim thousands of lives every year.
Risk Factors
Anyone may suffer a drowning injury, no matter how qualified a swimmer he or she may be. Despite this however, there are certain risk factors that increase one’s chances of drowning by a significant margin. They include the following:
- Alcohol consumption
- Drug use
- Swimming while fatigued
- Falling through ice into water
- Lack of swimming experience or skills
- Health problems while swimming, such as seizures, heart attacks or strokes
- Suffering an injury while swimming, from activities such as boating or diving
- Swimming in unsupervised waters
- Swimming in open water alone
- Cramping
While not all drowning incidents result in death, a large number of them do. Even if he victim survives, he or she may suffer very severe brain damage if the brain has been deprived of oxygen for several minutes or longer.
Contact Us
If you have been a victim of a drowning injury, or if you would like to learn more about the causes and consequences of drowning, Austin personal injury lawyer Vic Feazell can help. Contact his offices today at 877-948-4842 to discuss your questions and concerns.
