When Can You Make A Swimming Pool Accident Claim?

Last Updated On 3rd February 2025. Have you or a loved one been injured in a  pool accident caused by the operator’s breach of duty? If so, you might be able to begin a swimming pool accident claim.

Our team can assess your personal injury claim for free if you get in touch. If you have a valid claim, you could be connected to a specialist solicitor from our panel so they can manage your claim for you. Please continue reading to find out more.

Key Takeaways

  • Swimming pool operators owe all customers and visitors a duty of care towards their well-being. If that duty is breached, and you suffer as a result, you might be entitled to begin a compensation claim.
  • Evidence will need to be supplied to prove your claim is valid.
  • If the claim is won, you could receive compensation to cover any suffering you’ve endured. This could include any pain and suffering as well as any financial losses you’ve incurred.
  • If you instruct a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel, they could represent you through a Conditional Fee Agreement CFA meaning no fees are needed for their service upfront.

If you have any questions about swimming pool accident claims or would like to discuss your case, you can call 0800 408 7825 or contact us online.

Swimming Pool Accident Claim

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How Public Interest Lawyers Could Help You With A Swimming Pool Accident Claim

If you wish to start a public liability claim following an accident in a swimming pool, speak to us for free advice. One of our specialists could assess your claim on a no-obligation basis to see if you have a valid claim.

If your case meets the eligibility criteria, you could be connected to a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel. Between them, our panel of solicitors has years of experience in handling all sorts of personal injury claims.

Some of the services they could provide in a claim for an accident at a swimming pool include:

  • Helping you to find the evidence to support your claim.
  • Valuing the amount of compensation you could be entitled to.
  • Answering your questions and explaining any technicalities.
  • Providing regular updates about your claim.
  • Ensuring your claim is filed correctly.

If you’re looking to instruct a lawyer for a swimming pool accident, why not call us first and let us assess the validity of your claim for free?

Eligibility Criteria When Claiming Swimming Pool Accident Compensation

If you have sustained injuries in a pool or poolside accident, you may be eligible to make a public liability claim to be compensated for your suffering with the help of our panel of swimming pool accident lawyers.

This is because, under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, all swimming pool operators have a legal duty to ensure the health and safety of all visitors. As such, they must take precautionary steps to prevent accidents from occurring, such as:

  • Completing safety checks
  • Providing staff training sessions
  • Using appropriate safety and hazard signs

Therefore, a swimming pool operator may be held liable for your injuries, and you may claim compensation if:

  • The swimming pool operator owed you a duty of care
  • They were in breach of this duty
  • This resulted in you sustaining injuries

Contact our helpful advisors to start a swimming pool accident claim today.

How Long Do You Have To Claim For A Swimming Pool Accident?

In law, the time limit for public liability claims is 3 years. This time limit is set by the Limitation Act 1980. Generally, if an adult is injured in a swimming pool, their limitation period will start from the date of the accident.

However, there are some exceptions to this rule. They include:

  • If a child is injured, their time limit does not start until their 18th birthday as they cannot make their own claim while they are a minor. A litigation friend, such as a parent, could claim on behalf of the child at any point before then.
  • Where an adult lacks the mental capacity to manage a claim is injured, there is no time limit as they cannot make a claim for themselves. Again an appointed litigation friend could act on the claimant’s behalf when they are not able to pursue a claim themselves. If the claimant regains mental capacity, then the time limit begins from the recovery.

If this is something you’re considering or if you’d like to confirm how long you have left to begin a swimming pool accident claim, get in touch today.

What Are The Most Common Causes Of Swimming Pool Accidents?

In this section, we’ve included some examples of accidents that could lead to a swimming pool accident claim. Remember, to be entitled to claim, you must have been injured because the pool’s operator breached their duty of care in some way.

  • Slips, trips and falls. While water around the poolside is an obvious risk factor, operators should try to reduce the risk as much as possible. You might be entitled to claim, for example, if you sustained a head injury after slipping and falling in the changing room that had recently been cleaned but there were no warning signs in place.
  • In some cases, a lack of warning signs could be deemed a breach of duty in a personal injury claim. For example, you could claim if you sustained a fractured ankle after jumping into the shallow end of the pool because there were no signs to indicate the water’s depth.
  • You may also be able to claim if you were injured after your hair or a limb was sucked into the pool’s drains because they were faulty or poorly maintained.
  • Chemical burns could lead to a compensation claim if the operator of the pool had used too much chlorine or other chemicals.
  • Claims for legionella, E.coli and other illnesses caused by contaminants in the pool could be claimed for if you can prove that there was a lack of quality checks.

If you believe you have a valid swimming pool accident claim, please get in touch.

How Much Compensation Could You Receive From A Swimming Pool Accident Claim?

If your swimming pool accident claim is won, you might receive a payout to cover any form of suffering you’ve endured.

General damages, the first head of loss that could be part of the overall payout, cover any physical or mental suffering caused by your swimming pool accident. Legal professionals including the solicitors from our panel may check the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help value any general damages you might be entitled to. The JCG lists guideline compensation ranges for many different injuries.

The compensation table below provides a few injuries and compensation guidelines from the JCG that might be relevant in swimming pool accident claims. However, each claim is unique so the amounts listed are only to be used as guidance. Please note that the figure in the top row was not taken from this resource.

Compensation Table

Type of InjurySeverityCompensation Guidelines
Multiple Severe Injuries and Related CostsVery SevereUp to £1,000,000 or more
Brain DamageVery Severe£344,150 to £439,000
Moderately Severe£267,340 to £344,150
Digestive System Illness/Damage Resulting from Non-traumatic Injury (b)(i)£46,900 to £64,070
Illness/Damage Resulting from Non-traumatic Injury (b)(ii)£11,640 to £23,430
AnkleSevere (b)£38,210 to £61,090
KneeSevere (iii)£31,960 to £53,030
LegSevere Leg Injuries (b)(iv)£33,880 to £47,840
HandSevere Fractures to Fingers (f)Up to £44,840
ToesSerious (d)£11,720 to £16,770

Can Financial Losses Make Up Part Of My Swimming Pool Accident Compensation?

The second head of loss that may form part of your overall compensation payout is called special damages. This is an award for any financial losses linked to your injuries.

For example, your settlement could cover:

  • Medical and rehabilitation costs.
  • Lost earnings for any time you needed to take off work as a result of your injuries.
  • Care and support at home.
  • Travel costs.

You will need to provide proof of any costs you claim such as wage slips or receipts.

We are happy to estimate the value of your claim for free so please call the number a the top of the page.

What Evidence To Collect After A Swimming Pool Accident?

The importance of providing evidence in a swimming pool accident claim cannot be understated. That’s because it can help to prove why your accident occurred, who was responsible for it and how you’ve suffered as a result. These are all important stages of the personal injury claims process.

The types of evidence you could provide include:

  • CCTV footage of the accident if it was caught on camera.
  • Details of any medical appointments you needed to attend because of your injuries.
  • Contact information for any potential witnesses.
  • A copy of an accident report form relating to the accident.
  • Photographs of any visible injuries plus photos of any obvious cause of your accident.

If you have a valid claim and are accepted by one of the solicitors from our panel, part of their service may include collecting evidence. This might include copies of your medical records and witness statements to further strengthen your case.

To check whether your claim is valid, contact our team today.

Use A No Win No Fee Lawyer To Claim

Using a specialist solicitor to help you claim compensation can make things a lot easier and less stressful.

Importantly, the solicitors from our panel offer a No Win No Fee service for any claim they take on. They do this by working under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). The CFA means that:

  • You don’t pay for your solicitor’s work in advance, during the claims process or if the claim is lost.
  • A small percentage of any compensation you receive will be deducted as a success fee if the claim is won.

The success fee percentage is legally capped so you can rest assured that you’ll still receive the bulk of any compensation payout.

To see if you could make a No Win No Fee swimming pool accident claim, you can:

More Resources About Public Liability Claims

In this last section of our guide, we’ve added links to some more of our guides:

Finally, here are some helpful external resources:

For further information on how to make a swimming pool accident claim, please speak to us.