What Happens if Your Car Lands in a Pool?

 Posted on August 30, 2019 in Uncategorized

When you have been driving for a while, you learn to expect the unexpected. However, what happened recently in Springfield caught a few people off guard. Police say that a 92-year-old woman drove her car into a backyard and right into someone’s swimming pool.

Police say that the woman is okay and that nobody else was injured. They say that the woman was “backing out from a driveway on Weymouth Street when she drove across the road, into her neighbor’s yard, and through their fence, landing in their pool.”

The woman was still in the pool when the fire department arrived. She was standing on the seat of her vehicle with her head through the car’s sunroof. Neighbors say they are grateful that nobody was out walking, in the yard, or in the pool when the accident occurred.

What to do if this happens to you

We know that this is not something that happens every day here, but it may leave you wondering what steps to take if:

• You or someone you love crashes into someone’s swimming pool
• Someone crashes into your swimming pool

What happens if there are injuries in a pool car crash?

As soon as something like this occurs, it is vital that you call 911. Police, fire, and EMS need to get to the scene. If there are any injuries immediately evident, let the dispatcher know. Even if nobody seems injured, these incidents are not like regular car accidents. There is always a chance that a person will not be able to get out of their vehicle before it becomes submerged.

• A car in a pool is always an emergency.

Drivers in Illinois are required to have insurance. The minimum liability coverage requirements are:

• $25,000 for the death or injury of one person in an accident
• $50,000 total for all injuries or deaths in an accident
• $20,000 for damages caused to another person’s property in an accident

Insurance is going to play a key role in a car versus a swimming pool incident, regardless of which side you are on. If someone is injured and the driver is at fault (which, in most cases like this, the driver would be at fault), then their liability coverage will be responsible for covering expenses. Likewise, if there is any property damage (which there will almost certainly be), their insurance will cover those costs.

However, injury and property damage expenses will only be covered up to that driver’s insurance limits. If a person’s injury or property damage expenses exceed the limits, they may have to file a claim with their homeowner’s insurance or file a lawsuit against the at-fault party.

Car accidents are a Reality in Illinois

According to the latest year of data from the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were 311,679 total motor vehicle crashes in the state. While we do not know how many of those involved pools (one that we know of now), we do know that there were:

• 66,889 total injury crashes
• 998 fatal crashes

If you or a loved one are injured in a Peoria motor vehicle crash due to another person’s negligence, no matter how bizarre the incident, you should seek legal assistance. An attorney can guide you towards the most successful path to compensation for your injuries and damages.