Near drownings and drowning accidents can make a day at the beach or a Myrtle Beach family vacation into a life-changing crisis. An experienced Myrtle Beach drowning accident lawyer at Axelrod & Associates, P.A., helps families determine when negligence is a factor at a hotel pool, a beachfront resort, or a public waterway.
We explain the hazards of the Grand Strand and coastal South Carolina, go over which details are most important, and help preserve key information so you can protect your legal rights during a very difficult time.
The attorneys at Axelrod & Associates, P.A., have more than 100 years of combined experience in drowning and near-drowning cases on the Grand Strand. We work directly with families to review the evidence, answer your questions, and remain available throughout the case.
Headquartered in Myrtle Beach with a long history of handling coastal cases, we know the local expectations for water safety, resort operations, pool management, and how these cases develop. We offer free initial consultations for families so you can understand your options as soon as possible.
Drowning accident investigations begin with the scene, witnesses, and property management. Responders make notes on water conditions, surrounding visibility, and any flotation devices or physical barriers that were in place.
Medical professionals document any oxygen deprivation, respiratory complications, and neurological effects seen in the hours after rescue. Hotels, resorts, and pool operators may also have incident reports that can reveal staffing levels, maintenance history, or past safety issues.
Combined, these records can help to determine how the incident unfolded and whether any preventable hazards played a role.
If the matter is serious, your counsel should be exceptional.
Millions of visitors each year enjoy Myrtle Beach waters, and the coastline presents some hazards that can quickly become dangerous. Rip currents that can develop along certain stretches of the Grand Strand, uneven drop-offs, and sandbars that shift with storms often catch swimmers unaware.
Hotel and resort pools also differ widely in their staffing, signage, and general safety practices. Lifeguard coverage can also change with the season and the location, and some beachfront hotels and resorts may have private security staff instead of trained lifeguards.
Families who understand these local risks are better able to see how environmental factors and a lack of oversight combined to create a drowning incident.
In drowning accidents, what the area looked like, how long a victim was underwater, and the presence of nearby staff or guests can be significant in assessing the case.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sees over 4,000 people die in the United States each year due to unintentional drowning, and many of these accidents have connections to inadequate safety measures and/or slow emergency response time.
Emergency reports, initial medical reports, and witness accounts may be used as essential evidence as insurance carriers assess a claim. These details need to be preserved as quickly as possible to help determine whether negligence was a factor.
Immediately following a drowning accident, families may be unsure what information could be useful in determining how the accident happened. While it may not always be clear which information is most important, those details can form the foundation for the case. Gathering evidence as soon as possible can help to preserve details before they become confusing or lost over time. Helpful information to consider gathering includes:
Negligence in a drowning accident often involves a property owner, a hotel, or the party responsible for supervision failing to take reasonable safety precautions. Unavailable barriers, broken equipment, lack of depth markings, or insufficient supervision are common factors. Careful examination of reports, photographs, and witness statements may reveal a failure to meet the most basic standards of care.
Near drowning can lead to neurological injury, respiratory issues, or other long-term cognitive problems. Since the damages caused by these types of events unfold differently from those that are immediately visible, it is more important to focus on medical records.
After a near-drowning event, a claim may be viable if the response time was slow, there was a lack of supervision, or if pool and spa equipment was poorly maintained.
Yes, hotels and resorts have a duty of care to ensure that the pools on their property are safe for use. This includes displaying rules and regulations and maintaining functional equipment, such as self-locking gates or ladders.
Many facilities also have trained staff or security personnel to help with supervision. If a drowning or near-drowning event occurs, liability may exist if these standards are ignored or unevenly applied.
After a drowning, families should avoid giving a detailed statement to insurance companies until all the facts are clear, as insurers may use early comments as proof of an individual’s responsibility.
They also should not rely on verbal explanations from property owners or their employees, and they should preserve records, make written statements of what occurred, and keep copies of all related communications.
Drowning and near-drowning cases leave families with medical questions, legal uncertainty, and a need for answers about what went wrong. Our drowning accident lawyers at Axelrod & Associates, P.A., know which questions to ask and how to sort out the important facts from the confusing details.
Understanding local water conditions, staffing and safety expectations, and property owner obligations is critical. At Axelrod & Associates, P.A., our attorneys help families identify their options by reviewing records, speaking to witnesses, and examining how supervision or property conditions contributed to the incident.
We remain available and communicative throughout, so families can understand each step of the process. If your family has experienced a drowning incident, contact our firm to learn more about a consultation and hire a drowning accident lawyer today.
I just had the most awesome results with Axelrod Law Firm, particularly with Tatiana Berkey! She got my 8 points reduced to zero with only a $25 fine! She was so informative, caring and productive! It’s a great law firm with great results!
The staff at Axelrod&Associates is far none the best on the grand strand.they have taken care of 5 different cases for me and they went way above my expectations. Heather,Kelly ,Stuart and notably the best paralegal in the business…”Jenna” are so professional and most of all….caring. A million thanks to everyone there.
Go see Kate O’Hara! Her and her team work great together! Kept me up date and answered all the questions that I had! I couldn’t thank them enough!
Words can’t describe how thankful I am for this law firm ! They went way beyond anything I could have ever expected. If you are looking for a firm that really cares about their clients , this is the one!
Great experience working with Jenna and Heather on my adoption. It has been a long, lengthy process, and they were great getting me through all of it. Would recommend and definitely use them again in the future if needed. Thank you so much.
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Our attorneys handle a wide range of legal concerns ranging from personal injury, to traffic tickets to criminal charges to on-the-job injuries, to divorce and custody matters, to social security and veterans administration disability claims.
4701 Oleander Drive, Suite A
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
843-484-3983
1550 N. Oak St.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
843-390-9090
1510 Ebenezer Road
Rock Hill, SC 29732
803-956-1224
3700 Golf Colony Ln
Little River, SC 29566
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