Panama City Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

Florida's Panhandle region is known for our beautiful white sand beaches, with twenty-seven miles of beach and ninety-six public beach easements in Bay County alone. Our coastal waters attract both residents and tourists, eager to enjoy nature's gift to the region. We encourage people to enjoy both the business and leisure possibilities of these waterfront areas. However, our Panama City beach injury lawyer has seen many lives tragically altered or even lost due to coastal accidents. We urge people to avoid beach injury by making safety a top priority and teaching their children to do the same.

Ignoring Warnings Raises Danger for Beachgoers
The county's flag warning system is a fundamental tool used by the Beach Patrol to keep beachgoers safe. However, according to a report in the News Herald, too many people ignore the warning flags. Despite the fact that the signal warns of danger and signifies that the water is closed to public use, the Beach Patrol still sees major spike in assistance calls during double red flag conditions (the highest warning level, putting aside. Both the Panama City Beach Police Department ("PCBPD")'s Surf Unit and Bay County Sheriff's Office ("BCSO") Beach Patrol monitor the city's beach areas. Overall, officials fielded 257 water calls in 2012, leading to 77 incident reports for the beach area (up from 120 calls and 33 reports in 2011). About 30% of the incident reports occurred in double red flag conditions. One especially frightening statistic - a full half of the drownings seen by officials happened on a single day. On July 21, responders rescued dozens of swimmers from Gulf waters amid high surf conditions and three people perished as a result of water-related emergencies.

Notably, there is only a small lifeguard program in Bay County, an effort still in its infancy that includes two guards at Russell-Fields City pier from April through September. While the PCBPD and BCSO units patrol the area, they lack the advantage life guards have of covering a very specific focal zone. Will Spivey, head of the beach's lifeguard program, notes that the Gulf waters are dynamic and he warns that it can be difficult to spot shifting currents. These factors combine to make the preventative efforts of all the safety groups even more important.

Understanding the Florida Beach Warning Flags
Beachgoers, including swimmers, surfers, boaters, and those using other personal watercraft, should familiarize themselves with the flag warning system. Per the News Herald, Florida's legislature adopted the statewide safety system in 2005. The five different flag symbols are:

• Green - Low hazard levels. Conditions are suitable for swimming.


• Yellow - Medium hazard levels, includes moderate surf and/or currents.


• Red (single) - High hazard levels, includes strong currents.


• Red (double) - Danger. Water is closed to the public.


• Purple - Indicates presence of dangerous marine life.

More information is available at the Tourist Development Council and on public easements as well as via fliers and posters in hotels and other rental units. Importantly, the flags focus on overall surf conditions and do not focus on rip currents

We hope that both residents and visitors enjoy all our shores have to offer. Safety may not always seem like a fun topic, but an accident can derail even the best of days. We hope people heed the flag system and other directions given by safety officials, ensuring that memories are of the beach and not the emergency room.

As always, if you have been injured due to the negligence or wrongful act of another person or an organization, call our Panama City injury lawyer. Our firm's personal injury and wrongful death practice includes beach-related issues, such as those stemming from negligence and product liability related matters.

See Related Blog Posts:
Panama City Diving Accident Remains Under Investigation

Personal Watercraft Accident in Northwest Florida Leaves Teen With Amputated Leg

(Photo by Daniel Lobo)

Spring is in the air and summer won't be far behind. Like the rest of our community, the attorney and staff at our Panama City accident law firm look forward to the beautiful weather and to enjoying time at the beach and by the pool. Summer brings happy times with friends and family but it also brings heightened concerns about water safety, especially when children are involved.

According to a report by The News Herald a child is recovering after a scary incident that nearly resulted in a drowning in Panama City Beach. The seven year old boy was found unresponsive in the swimming pool at an area resort. Police authorities say the child was in the water for between thirty seconds and one minute when a vacationing adult spotted the boy in the pool and pulled him to safety. The child was initially unresponsive and CPR was performed but was the boy was breathing and had a pulse by the time he was taken to an area hospital. Thankfully, doctors have concluded that he did not suffer any long-term brain damage due to the incident. Reports indicated that the child's parents were momentarily distracted by other children at the time of the near-drowning. The police report that the incident was an accident and that there was no parental neglect involved.

Drowning is a risk in swimming pools, open water, and even bathtubs. Statistics compiled by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission estimate that two hundred and sixty children under age five drown in residential swimming pools and home spas. An additional three thousand children in the under-five age group receive emergency room care for submersion related incidents every year, including cases that result in permanent brain damage. For children under five, drowning is the fourth leading cause of death nationwide.

Although no list could ever be fully complete, the following are some important swimming pool safety reminders:

• Never leave a child unattended in a pool area.
• Be sure pools are fully fenced in with self-closing latches on gate doors that are out of reach for young children.
• Do not use "swimmies" or other flotation devices as a substitute for close adult supervision
• Teach children to swim at an early age but do not assume that any child, even those who can swim well, is "drown proof."
• Never use a swimming pool while a pool cover is partially in place to avoid the risk of a child getting trapped under the cover.
• Learn CPR and ensure any caregiver who will be supervising children in the vicinity of a swimming pool has also had CPR instruction.
• Keep a phone near the pool so help can be summoned quickly in the event of a pool-related accident.

Medical care should always be the first concern after a drowning or near-drowning. In some cases, a lawsuit may also be appropriate. Our Panama City drowning lawyer can help parents explore claims related to the failure of a hotel or other facility to maintain a safe pool environment or when the incident involved a product defect such as a faulty drain. Representatives of our Panama City injury law firm are available 24/7 to take your call and schedule a free consultation to discuss your legal rights.

See Related Blog Posts:

Practice Safe Boating This Season

Safe Boating in the Florida Panhandle