Few have likely ever heard of the Virginia Graeme Baker (VGB) Pool & Spa Safety Act. Yet, since its passage over a decade ago, countless children are alive because of it.
Back in 2007, then-President George W. Bush signed the legislative bill into law. Its name honors the memory of former Secretary of State James Baker’s young granddaughter who perished due to a drain entrapment during the summer of 2002.
The 7-year-old was playing in a hot tub when she was trapped and held underwater by the strong sucking force from the spa’s drain cover. Two adult men attempted to pull the youngster away from the drain, breaking its cover. By that time, it was too late for the trapped child.
The distraught Baker family wanted to prevent any further senseless deaths of children from drain entrapment in spas and pools. Advocating alongside child safety organizations, Virginia’s family oversaw the drafting and passage of the VGB Act. Among other things, the Act:
- Enhances safety features in both private and public swimming pools and hot tubs
- Reduces the frequency of eviscerations and drownings from drain entrapments
- Promotes public education on the dangers of drain entrapment
- Encourages drowning prevention and water safety education programs
Was your child harmed in a drain entrapment accident in a public or private hot tub or swimming pool? The injuries may be severe and life-threatening.
As parents, you have the ability to advocate for your injured child and pursue all legal avenues to obtain the financial compensation to which your son or daughter may be entitled to due to another person’s negligence.
Source: PoolSafely.gov, “Honoring 10 Years Since the Passage of the Virginia Graeme Baker Act,” accessed June 01, 2018
