A pool accident changes everything. An Orlando drowning accident lawyer can help.
An Orlando drowning accident lawyer helps families find out what went wrong when someone is hurt or lost in a pool, lake or water park in Florida. Missing fences and alarms, absent lifeguards and unsafe drains can make an owner responsible. We handle the investigation so you can focus on your family. No fee unless we recover.
You deserve answers, not an insurance script
We’re so sorry. Whether your loved one survived or not, a drowning accident is every family’s worst fear. While you’re at the hospital or planning a goodbye, the property owner’s insurer is already gathering its side of the story.
“No one was watching”
Insurers blame parents or the victim, even when the owner ignored the barriers and rules meant to prevent this.
The early phone call
An adjuster calls with sympathy and questions. Your answers in a hard moment can be used to limit the claim.
Missing records
Maintenance logs, lifeguard schedules and inspection reports can be lost if no one asks for them.
What waiting can cost you
Hidden injuries
Lack of oxygen can cause brain injuries that show up over weeks and months.
The two-year deadline
Most Florida injury and wrongful death claims must be filed within two years.
The scene gets fixed
Gates, alarms and drain covers are often repaired before anyone documents them.
Lifelong care costs
Therapy and care for a serious injury can last a lifetime.
The insurance company has a team. Now you do too.
Get my free case reviewFlorida law, in plain words
Who can be responsible for a drowning in Florida
Florida has more residential pools than almost any state, and drowning is a leading cause of death for young children here. The law sets safety rules for home and public pools, and owners who ignore them can be held responsible.
Home pool safety features
Florida requires new home pools to have at least one safety feature, such as a barrier fence, a pool cover, door and window alarms or self-closing, self-latching doors.
Public and commercial pools
Hotel, apartment and community pools must meet state health and safety codes, and federal law requires anti-entrapment drain covers.
Supervision and lifeguards
Daycares, camps, water parks and venues that promise supervision can be responsible when no one is watching the water.
Hazards that attract children
Owners can be responsible for an unfenced pool that draws in children who are too young to understand the danger, even if they weren’t invited.
When a loved one is lost
If a drowning is fatal, Florida’s Wrongful Death Act lets the family bring a claim through the estate’s personal representative.
Children ages 1 to 4
No. 1
In Florida, drowning is the leading cause of injury death for young children. Most happen in home pools, often during a short lapse in supervision with no barrier in place.
Central Florida water
Where drowning accidents happen
Central Florida is full of backyard pools, resort pools, water parks and lakes. Each one comes with different owners, different rules and different insurers. We start by preserving the scene and the records, then find everyone who had a duty to keep the water safe.
Home and neighbor pools
Missing fences, broken gate latches and no alarms, often at a neighbor’s or relative’s house, where homeowner’s insurance may pay.
Hotels and vacation rentals
Resort and rental pools without lifeguards, depth markings, working gates or safe drains.
Apartments and HOAs
Community pools with broken gates, poor maintenance or no rescue equipment.
Water parks, camps and lakes
Too few lifeguards, poor training and unsafe rides or docks where supervision was promised.
What a family can recover
No amount of money undoes what happened. A claim can pay for the care your loved one needs and hold the responsible party accountable, so it’s less likely to happen to another family.
- Hospital care, rehabilitation and long-term therapy
- Future care for a brain injury, including home care and equipment
- Lost wages for an injured adult, and for parents who had to stop working
- Pain, suffering and the loss of the life your loved one would have lived
- Funeral and burial costs after a fatal drowning
- Parents’ and family members’ grief and lost companionship under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act
Proof, not promises
Real people, real results
Recovered for a family after a pool accident
[$X]
[Property type and year: one sentence on what failed and what the recovery covered.]
Every case is different. Past results don’t guarantee a similar outcome.
“We didn’t know where to start. Sunshine was gentle with us, explained everything and found out exactly why the gate didn’t close. They gave us answers.”
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Three simple steps
How we help your family, in three steps
- 1
Talk with us privately
A free, confidential conversation with an attorney, in English or Spanish, at the hospital, at home or by video.
- 2
We investigate what failed
We preserve the scene, inspect the barriers, alarms and drains, request records and deal with every insurer for you.
- 3
We pursue accountability
When the full cost of care is clear, we demand what your family is owed and negotiate hard. If no one will be fair, we’re ready for trial.
Where your family ends up
Before
- Overwhelmed and in pain
- Alone against the insurance company
- Treated like a claim number
With Sunshine
- Informed at every step
- Protected by a team that fights for you
- Back on your feet
Care that’s paid for
The therapy and support your loved one needs, for as long as they need it.
Financial security
Medical bills and lost income covered, so the future isn’t a worry.
Accountability
Answers about what failed, and pressure to fix it.
Room to heal
No insurer calls. Time to be with your family.
Every case is different. Past results don’t guarantee a similar outcome.
Our promise
We treat your case as if it were our own.
What it costs, and why Sunshine
Drowning accident attorneys who treat your family like ours
After a drowning accident, most Florida families are left with questions no one will answer and an insurance company that wants to close the file. Sunshine State Law Firm takes on that fight with care and keeps you informed every step of the way, so you can focus on your family. No fee unless we recover for you.
- No fee unless we recover for you. The percentage is in writing before you sign, along with the Statement of Client’s Rights Florida requires.
- You’ll always know who’s handling your case, with updates by text, email and phone.
- Hablamos español, from the first call to the final check.
- No question is a dumb question. We explain every step in plain words.
Guides for families
Florida personal injury statute of limitations, explained
Florida’s personal injury statute of limitations is now generally 2 years. See deadlines by claim type, key exceptions and why waiting can hurt your case.
Read the guide
How to handle stress during a personal injury case
How to handle stress during a personal injury case in Florida: what causes it, simple ways to cope, what your lawyer handles and when to get support.
Read the guide
What does a personal injury lawyer do? A step-by-step look
What does a personal injury lawyer do? Follow a Florida injury case from the first call to the final check, and see what your lawyer handles at each stage.
Read the guide
Questions families ask us about drowning accidents
No question is a dumb question. Here are the ones we hear most.
It depends on where it happened. A homeowner, landlord, HOA, hotel, daycare, camp, water park or pool company can be responsible if they failed to follow safety rules, maintain barriers and drains or provide promised supervision.
Yes. Non-fatal drowning can cause brain injuries and other lasting harm. A claim can cover medical care, therapy, future care and the child’s pain and suffering, along with parents’ medical expenses.
A claim is usually paid by the homeowner’s insurance, not the family’s savings. Many families worry about this, and we talk it through with you before anything is filed.
Commercial and rental pools must meet stricter safety rules. The owner, management company and pool maintenance company may each share responsibility. Visiting families can work with us from home.
Nothing up front. We work on a contingency fee: our fee is a percentage of what we recover, and you owe no attorney’s fee if we don’t recover. The percentage and how case costs are handled are in a written agreement you see before you sign.
Generally two years from the injury, or two years from the date of death for a wrongful death claim. Claims against a government pool have earlier notice requirements, so please reach out when you’re ready.
Florida wrongful death claimsTell us your story. We’ll take it from here.
A free, personal conversation with an attorney. No pressure, no fee unless we recover for you.
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