What Do Illinois Drowning Statistics Show About Drowning Injury Prevention?

Legal Support for Drowning Victims and Their Families

Illinois drowning statistics show that unintentional drowning deaths are on the rise. Drowning is a leading cause of death in children between the ages of one and four, but older children and adults are also at risk of fatal and non-fatal drowning. Chicago’s many waterways increase the risk of drowning deaths among people of all ages. 

While swimming lessons and drowning prevention awareness can reduce the risk of tragic accidents, some drowning cases are due to another person’s negligence. A Chicago drowning accident attorney from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can get justice for you and your family by negotiating for a fair settlement from the responsible party. Learn more about Illinois drowning statistics and how you can get justice for a drowning fatality. 

Drowning Rates

The CDC reports that each year, 4,000 fatal drowning accidents occur, which means 11 per day. Another 8,000 nonfatal drowning incidents occur each year, or 22 per day. 

Drowning is the third leading cause of all unintentional injury death rates worldwide and is responsible for 7% of all deaths. This translates to an estimated 236,000 annual drowning deaths each year worldwide. 

Drowning deaths were declining year over year until 2020, when they began to rise again. Unintentional drowning deaths of children ages 1 to 4 increased the most, by 28%, from 2019 to 2022.

Public health officials believe this may be because swimming pools were closed, meaning that children couldn’t take water safety lessons. 

Drowning Rates in Illinois

The state of Illinois reports 1.06 drowning deaths per 100,000 people, slightly lower than the national average of 1.31 deaths per 100,000 people. 

In 2023 alone, 20 Illinois children lost their lives to drowning. These occurrences happened in swimming pools, bathtubs, lakes, ponds, washing machines, and water parks. This highlights the importance of more drowning prevention strategies.

Common Causes of Drowning

Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional injury and death. Common causes of drowning include the following:

• Flooding or other weather events: Flood weather events cause more deaths yearly than thunderstorms. Unfortunately, flooding is extremely common in the Chicagoland area because it is on a floodplain. Earlier this year, the South Side of Chicago faced extreme flooding that required firefighters to rescue trapped individuals. 
• Lack of pool barriers: A lack of pool barriers is a leading cause of unintentional deaths related to drowning. The American Red Cross reports that using a four-sided isolation fence separating the pool from the home reduces the risk of a child drowning by 83%. 
• Inability to swim: Swimming lessons can significantly reduce the risk of drowning. It’s estimated that as many as 40 million people don’t know how to swim and have never taken swim lessons. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that swim lessons may minimize the potential economic losses of drowning by $400 billion in total, helping to protect communities.
• Unsupervised swimming: Public pools or waterways without lifeguards on duty can lead to more drowning cases. In Chicago, people may take their kids to local beaches like Oak Street Beach, where there may not be a lifeguard close enough to rescue them. 

Where Do Drowning Accidents Occur?

Understanding where water-based accidents most often occur can also help residents reduce drowning risk. Water safety should be a priority in the following locations:

• Home: Children under the age of one year are more likely to suffer unintentional injury, death, or drowning while at home. 88% of drowning deaths in children younger than five occur at a home pool or hot tub.
• Natural water sources: Children between the ages of five and 17 are more likely to experience drowning in nearby natural water sources. 
• Lake Michigan: Almost half of all Great Lakes drownings happen in Lake Michigan. Neighborhoods like Edgewater, South Shore, Gold Coast, and Kenwood are directly on the shore, putting residents at a higher risk.

Who’s at Risk of Drowning Accidents?

Some ages and races are at an increased risk of drowning accidents.

Age

Young children are at the highest risk of drowning deaths. Drowning is the number one cause of death for children in the age range of one through four. It is also the second leading cause of death in children between the ages of 5 and 14. Of the ten drowning deaths reported each day in the United States, two are under the age of 14 years.

Adults are also at risk of unintentional drowning deaths. The rates of drowning among people aged 15 to 24 are increasing, with a 31% increase from 2019 to 2020. Those between the ages of 15 and 34 reported the most significant surge in drowning death rates, with many experts believing that alcohol may be to blame. 

Older adults over the age of 65 are also at an increased risk of drowning. Those over 85 reported a 29.4% increase in drowning accidents from 2019 until now. 

Race

The highest drowning rates are among Black individuals and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native individuals. African American children between the ages of five and 19 are 5.5 times more likely to drown in a swimming pool than Caucasian children in the same age range. 

For African Americans, this is due to a long legacy of segregated swimming pools and limited access to swimming education, including in Illinois and the Chicagoland area. 

Swimming Skills

Those who don’t know how to swim are at a significantly higher risk of unintentional drowning accidents. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that as many as 40 million or 15.4% of people in the United States don’t know how to swim. 

Over half of U.S. residents have never taken a swimming lesson. Swimming lessons teach Americans critical water safety skills and drowning prevention techniques.

Disability

Both adults and children with cognitive disability, like autism spectrum disorder, are 160 times more likely to experience nonfatal or fatal drowning. This may be due to a lack of swimming skills or limited supervision near pools or waterways.

Location

Those with easy access to swimming pools or bodies of water like Lake Michigan are more at risk of both nonfatal and fatal drowning incidents. Unsecured pools or lakefront properties are a top cause of unintentional injury and drowning. 

In Illinois, every pool is required to be surrounded on all four sides by a wall of at least 42 inches in height (HB2495). The City Municipal Code is even stricter than this, requiring self-latching gates at least 52 inches above the surface to help prevent fatal accidents (§18-29-1204.4.5). Even with these efforts, many younger children still drown. 

Other risk factors for unintentional drowning deaths included lower socioeconomic status, males, and drinking alcohol while in or near waterways.

Liability in a Drowning Accident

Illinois does not follow the attractive nuisance law, which was overturned in the 1984 case Cope v. Doe. The state courts have also acknowledged the “open and obvious” defense, meaning that property owners do not have a duty to warn of readily apparent conditions that may cause harm.

Instead, the court system considers ordinary negligence principles in drowning deaths. They may ask whether the property owner was aware that children may be on the property or may visit in the foreseeable future, and whether the owner took all appropriate precautions to mitigate risk.

Other than premises liability, our attorneys can also consider other negligent parties, like manufacturers, lifeguards, and municipalities. We will thoroughly investigate every circumstance around the accident, then negotiate for fair compensation from the relevant insurance agency. 

Consult a Drowning Accident Attorney Near You!

As drowning statistics show, people of all ages are at risk of fatal drowning accidents due to negligence. Accidental drowning is the second leading cause of death in children aged 5-14, but even older children and adults may be at risk if they don’t know how to swim. 

Even those who experience nonfatal drowning can have lifelong conditions and complications. Drowning can lead to the victim experiencing respiratory impairment or cause brain damage. You may be eligible for compensation if negligence caused you, your children, or another loved one to suffer a permanent injury.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers help drowning victims recover the compensation they need to cover medical bills and lost wages. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe us nothing unless we are able to earn compensation for you and your family.

Contact a personal injury attorney in Chicago today at (888) 424-5757 or use our online contact form for a free consultation.

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.