Maison Law stands beside families after they’ve lost a loved one in a drowning accident in Delano or anywhere across Kern County. We help victims hold business owners, farm owners, and government agencies accountable when victims are allowed access to unsafe pools, ponds, lakes, and rivers. To find out how to hold at-fault parties fully accountable for their negligence in a drowning, contact a skilled Delano lawyer and schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.
Should My Family Talk to a Lawyer After Losing Someone in a Drowning?
After losing a loved one in a tragic drowning, families will be devastated, and they will also likely face a period of financial turmoil. They may have to pay funeral costs and cover any leftover medical bills, all at a time when they may have just lost the financial support a loved one had always provided through a weekly paycheck.
A Delano drowning accident lawyer helps ensure victims and their families receive justice for an act of negligence. A lawyer can also often secure more for families in a wrongful death claim so they avoid financial issues in the months and years ahead. Parents who lose a child to a drowning that could have been prevented must receive support as they grieve their loss. An attorney fully investigates what happened and demands the maximum in support for those left behind.
Drowning Dangers in Delano
Delano residents seeking heat relief can check out a pool at a nearby hotel or seek a spot along the Kern River. Families may take a drive up to Lake Woollomes or Lake Isabella for some boating and some splashing. And the owners and operators of these lakes have a duty to keep visitors as safe as possible.
Property owners, hotel chains, government agencies, and others must take action to remove hazards that might cause hazardous conditions. They must warn potential swimmers of dangers in lakes and rivers.
Pool operators, homeowners or business owners, must maintain pools and equipment so swimmers are safe and put up barriers to keep curious unattended children out. State and federal agencies may be liable for not removing dangerous boaters from the lake before someone is struck and as a result, drowns.
These aren’t the only legal obligations owners and operators must uphold. Here are a few other mistakes that those in charge of pools and natural bodies of water are accountable for:
- Providing the proper number of lifeguards.
- Proper training for those lifeguards.
- Providing proper safety devices and first aid for swimmers and disabled guests.
- Maintenance of pools to prevent hazards with drains and other features.
- Removal of slip-and-fall hazards around pools and docks that might send someone into the water while unconscious.
- Preventing overcrowding.
- Providing fencing and security measures to prevent unattended people from entering and suffering harm.
- Lack of security and warnings around ponds and canals on farms and orchards.
- Putting up warning signs about hazards in natural bodies of water like along rivers, lakes, and ponds. Signs about deep water, underwater obstructions, and strong currents. No swimming signs.
- Keeping careless boaters out of areas where they could strike swimmers.
A drowning in a lake or river at a state park or a national forest may leave the Kern County Parks and Rec Department or a Federal agency liable for a drowning. The City of Delano may also be liable in some locations.
Filing wrongful death claims against any government agency can be very complex. Government officials may require you to seek permission just to sue them. Their deadlines will be much shorter too.
The deadline for filing a claim after a drowning against a normal business owner or property owner is two years from the date of the drowning. But when suing a city, county, State of California, or federal agency, the statute of limitations may only be a few months. Make sure to consult with a skilled Delano drowning accident attorney to cut through this red tape and avoid missing important time limits.
Compensation for Families After a Tragic Drowning
Nothing can bring back the life of a precious loved one after a drowning, but families should seek justice and demand help to assist close relatives in rebuilding their lives. A spouse and children of the victim can quickly face financial turmoil as bills for a funeral and burial come due. They’ll face the leftover medical bills and ambulance fees that could remain.
These and other financial burdens should not be the family’s worry, especially when an at-fault party is found to blame for a tragic drowning incident.
A wrongful death lawyer demands support for the family’s current hardships and the difficulties that will arise in the years ahead:
- Totals on leftover medical bills and ambulance fees.
- Support to pay for a funeral and burial.
- The emotional hardships a family will suffer.
- Support for children of the victims who have lost the love and guidance of a parent. That includes the cherished moments of entering college and graduating and sharing the gift of childbirth with parents. Those moments can’t be replaced, but those at fault must be held accountable.
- Support for parents who lose the love and companionship of a child now and in the future.
- Cost of psychological counseling for family members to help them cope with the loss.
- Loss of consortium. (The lost support of a spouse or partner)
- Reimbursement for the wages the victim can no longer contribute to the family in the coming years.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Drowning Accident Lawyer
After a careless drowning accident claims the life of a loved one, take action to seek justice from a negligent property owner or business owner. Contact the skilled Delano Drowning Accident Lawyers at Maison Law, for a free consultation and case evaluation. It’s a no-risk way to find out how to keep a negligent party from avoiding blame and how to secure every benefit possible for your family after a tragedy.
And don’t worry about having the money to hire an attorney. Maison Law fights for the rights of families on a contingency basis. It means we don’t get paid unless we win the case for your family. Then our fee comes out of the settlement check or judgment your family receives.
