I came across a Web site put up by the parents of John Albert Pluchinsky who died in a swimming pool drowning accident while attending Space Week day camp, at the Houston Racquet Club in Houston, Texas. The swimming pool drowning happened on July 18, 2007. The 4-year-old boy drowned in a Clearwater pool within plain sight of two lifeguards and six camp counselors with a ratio of almost one counselor for every two campers. Of course, the question that John's grief-stricken parents have asked time and time again is: HOW could this have happened?

The Web site has detailed reports of John's cause of death. It takes apart each and every aspect of the drowning incident, exploring the failure of all those responsible for swimming pool safety at every level in the club. But the goal of this Web site is to prevent swimming pool accidents, particularly at summer day camps, by educating and training everyone involved -- from club managers and camp directors to individual counselors and lifeguards. I think this is absolutely commendable. John's parents say they hope another family "does not have to endure the lifelong pain of losing a child due to an easily preventable death."

Isn't that the truth? Swimming pool accidents -- whether they happen in a backyard pool or at a club or during a field trip -- are entirely preventable. These drowning incidents and near-drowning incidents, which injure and kill hundreds of children in Southern California, can be avoided if children are under constant and vigilant supervision when they are enjoying themselves in the pool.

With summer camps and swim lessons starting out at clubs and community centers all over the country, it is time for us to think about this issue. Many of us entrust our child to the care of a daycare center or a day camp operator during the summer when they are away from school. We send them out on field trips with the hope that camp counselors and organizers will take care of our children and give them a happy and safe camping experience. Most often, that is the case. But sometimes, swimming pool negligence does occur and as a result tragedy follows -- as it happened with John Pluchinsky.

The Pluchinskys have a tip sheet on their Web site for parents who are about to send their children to camp or swim lessons. Here's the link to their page titled "Lessons Learned." If you are a parent or a grandparent or if you are caring for a child, you need to learn these lessons.

If your child has been injured or killed in a swimming pool accident as a result of someone else's negligence, please contact experienced personal injury attorneys to find out more information about your legal rights and options. Knowledgeable personal injury attorneys will be able to determine whether negligence was a factor in your child's swimming pool accident case.

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