California Injury Blog
Jhovan Peralta, 4, drowned over the Labor Day weekend at a Chula Vista Lagoon Style swimming pool, according to a 10news report. Jhovan was reportedly found unconscious in the swimming pool at East Lake Beach Club on Lakeridge Circle. Paramedics took the boy to an area hospital, where he died.
According to another news report by NBC, the boy was found by some unidentified people in the water following the fatal swimming pool accident. They dragged him to the shore. There are conflicting reports about whether the parents were with the boy or not. The NBC report states that the boy and his parents were visiting from out of town while the 10news report states that the boy lived in Spring Valley with his mother and siblings.
My heart goes out to the family of little Jhovan Peralta. Let us keep them in our prayers.
Unfortunately, fatal swimming pool accidents, especially those involving young children, are all too common in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that nationally more than one in four fatal drowning victims are children 14 and younger and for every child who dies from drowning, another four were treated for submersion injuries. The CDC also found 30 percent of the children 1 to 4 years old who died in 2005, died by drowning.
There are many unanswered questions that jump out of this San Diego swimming pool drowning. Was the child being accompanied by or supervised by his parents or other adults or even older children known to the family? The news reports also say some “unidentified people” pulled the boy out of the water. Does that mean the club, which advertises its “lagoon-style pool” did not have a lifeguard stationed there on a holiday weekend?
I’ll bet the officials and administrators at the East Lake Beach Club have already had their insurance company investigate this unfortunate event. They’re probably even trying to line up their witnesses and their version of the incident to avoid liability. The parents of Jhovan Peralta must definitely consider retaining a law firm that specializes in swimming pool accidents to fight for them. A skilled top California personal injury lawyer will dig deep, conduct an independent investigation and determine who should be held accountable for this tragedy.