If your children are planning on spending time in the pool as the weather warms up this spring, it is important you carefully watch them and education them about swimming pool safety. A study at the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio claims that there are more swimming injuries per year now then there were twenty years ago. Between the years 1990 and 2008, there were approximately 1.6 million swimming injuries in the United States.

The numbers per year increased significantly, with 80,000 swimming injuries in 1990 and 93,000 swimming injuries in 2008. The study shows that the annual rate of swimming injuries for those 7 and older increased by almost 30 percent just within the years of the study. At the end of the study it was averaged that there was about 11 injuries per 100,000 children. Children under the age of 17 account for about 60 percent of all swimming injuries in the United States.

A co-author on the study with the initials G.S. claims that there is about one swimming injury every six minutes. The co-author says that the rise in injuries is because parents and caretakers are not paying as close of attention to their children as they used to. Parents who are not watching their children while they are swimming may completely avoid seeing their child fall. As a result, the child may hit his or her head on the side of the pool, fall unconscious under the water, and drown as a result. These tragic deaths are quite common, and it is important that parents and caretakers do all they can to avoid them.

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System looked at swimming injuries that were treated in hospital emergency rooms and determined that injuries were most common in people who swam at least six times a year. For every 100,000 people who swam yearly, there were about 18 injuries in children 7 to 17. Nine injuries occurred among people that were 17 and older according to the study. 87 percent of all injuries that occurred were outside of the pool in the surrounding areas. Many of these were slip and fall injuries.

Only about 13 percent of all accidents occurred in the pool. Most injuries that were reported in the study were cuts, scrapes, bruises, and punctures. In some cases, children suffered head, neck, and back injuries. Head injuries are often the most dangers as a severe head injury can cause unconsciousness or brain damage. Children that are under the age of seven are more likely to die from a swimming pool injury than those who were a little bit older. Statistics show that swimming is the third most popular recreational activity in the United States, and about 301 million Americans go to swimming pools, lakes, and beaches every single year to enjoy the sun and the water.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with swimming, it can be devastating if children are not watched. If your child suffers a swimming pool injury while in the care of another or at a public pool, you may be able to seek compensation. For example, if you sent the child to your neighbor's house to swim and that neighbor assure d you that she would watch your young one, and then failed to fulfill that responsibility and your child was injured, then you can seek compensation. It is also important that all pools have signs posted that warn of the dangers of running and tell swimmers not to dive when in shallow water. If your child has been injured in a swimming pool injury, hire a personal injury attorney near you to seek compensation for medical bills and pain and suffering immediately.