It's water safety week - but you should always be careful around the water

July 17, 2018, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

The Lifesaving Society of Ontario is taking time to remind us all that this is National Drowning Prevention Week. Each year about 500 Canadians die in preventable water related incidents according to the Society.

570 News interviewed Cindy Parsons, Lifesaving Society Public Education Manager this week. She indicated that “Most drownings occur in unsupervised areas, when people are alone, either by the waterfront or on a boat”. This fact makes it even more important for people to follow basic water safety rules which include:

• Always wear a life jacket/PFD anytime you are on the water.
• If you cannot swim you should always wear a life jacket anytime you are in the water or in a boat or near the water (on a dock etc.).
• You should always swim with someone present if you are in an unsupervised area.
• You should not boat alone.
• Children should always have a life jacket on when they are in or near the water.
• Children SHOULD NEVER BE UNDUPERVISED NEAR WATER.
• If your young children are in the water, you should be within arm’s reach.
• If a group of adults are watching a group of children in the water, consider assigning one adult dedicated to watching the kids. Hand them a baton or life jacket to hold. Set a period of time (10 minutes) and then when their time is up they pass the physical item to the next adult. Often children drown when there are several adults by the water, but none are truly watching the kids.

Facts about drownings:

• It is called a silent death as contrary to popular belief most people that drown simply slip below the water.
• 70% of people who drown are male
• Children are particularly vulnerable as they panic easily, have poor judgement and generally are not strong swimmers

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Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

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