Protect Your Backyard Pool From Tragedy

With the summer sun comes summer fun -- all the more convenient for those with a pool at home, but of course pools bring risk as well.

Pools have grown in popularity, with more than 8.3 million households splashing around in the backyard to cool off after a long, sweaty summer day. That's up 10% since 2002, according to the Association of Pool and Spa professions.

However, the convenience also comes with liabilities. Even those with small, inflatable pools need to take precautions against drowning and pool-related injuries, especially with small children.

Drowning is still the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages one to 14, according to a report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The report also found that 283 kids under the age of five drowned in pools and spas from 2003 to 2005, on average.

Most of the deaths and injuries occurred in residential settings and involve children ages one to two years old. Parents or caretakers often left the children unguarded for less than five minutes.

Vigilance is of the utmost importance, but insurance can provide added protection as well. An example can be found in a well-known incident in the summer of 2001 when a four-year-old child drowned at a birthday party for the son of former Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee. The boy's parents sued Lee for $10 million, and though a jury eventually cleared him of any responsibility, the case took two years to decide and almost certainly came with hefty legal costs.