Each summer 100s of 1000s of people travel to the local swimming pool or beach to go for a swim or surf or scuba dive with friends. However, of those 1000s of people, an alarming number of them will sustain an injury as a result of a diving accident. For the reason that most swimming pools are publicly owned, the city and their workers are responsible for the well being of their customers. Meaning to say, if you or a loved one has sustained an injury through a diving accident, you may be entitled to compensation through the city. By hiring a personal injury lawyer, we can help you file a claim so you may receive compensation.

For the most part, diving accidents are a difficult issue to file a claim for, because both insurance companies and court rooms see the victim as being the responsible party for the accident taking place in the first place. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean the victim is responsible, but it is tough to prove otherwise. For instance, in 2010, a man in his 30s elected to dive into a lake, thinking the water was much deeper then it actually was. As a result of the shallow water, the man cracked his head and his spinal cord compressed, causing paralyses. The man and his family would sue the city responsible for the aforementioned lake and walk away with a successful claim.

Essentially, the man and his family argued, that the city did not do a good enough job of indicating to its customers that the water was actually shallower then it appeared. Due to the lack of a warning sign, it was the city that failed in their duty of care to the injured man, as opposed to the man’s own negligence in the case.

This isn’t the first time that cities or homeowners have been sued for diving accidents. Over the last decade, in Toronto alone, there has been a dramatic rise in catastrophic diving injuries. Parents need to take responsibility as well for their children’s well being, but with that being said, if there isn’t an indication that a person is at risk, then that is the fault of the owner of the pool or lake.

When you hire a personal injury lawyer, it is important that you and a loved one keep a journal of your accidents timeline. In essence, this journal, will act as a guideline for how you and your attorney handle your claim. On the one hand, the lawyer may be able to use your details to establish a strong case. Conversely, the lawyer may use there past experiences to help you develop your case, as many diving accidents are similar to one another.