Because the weather in the Las Vegas area is so temperate, residents and visitors can enjoy swimming pools almost year round. But tourism tends to increase during the summer months so swimming pool use tends to increase during this time of the year. Unfortunately, that often means a corresponding jump in swimming pool injuries.

In fact, two tragic hotel pool incidents occurred within two days of each other at swimming pools on Las Vegas hotel properties in broad daylight. On August 22 around 5:45pm, Matthew Williams suffered a head injury in the Rehab Pool area of the Hard Rock Hotel on Paradise Road. The 27-year old Oregon man was transported to Sunrise Medical Center, but was pronounced dead due to his injuries. Authorities are still investigating how Williams sustained the head injury.

Less than 48 hours later, a five-year old girl almost drowned at the pool of the Rio Hotel and Casino on Flamingo Road. At about 2pm on August 24, the unidentified girl (who was staying at the hotel) was rescued from the hotel’s pool and taken immediately to University Medical Center, where she was stabilized. Police are still investigating the circumstances of her accident.

I’ve written at length about swimming pool accidents before but these two incidents illustrate how dangerous swimming pools can be – even ones on the properties of large hotels. No matter where you are, it is important that you exercise extreme caution in and around pools and make sure that children are supervised at all times.

If you or a loved one has been injured at a hotel swimming pool due to someone else’s negligence or recklessness, you should consider contacting a personal injury lawyer.