Insurers Reveal Most Severe Summer Swim Injuries – Jumping into Water Poses Greatest Risk
BTA Baltic Insurance Company has analyzed summer swim injuries, noting that feet, ankles and hands are most commonly affected, but the most severe consequences result from jumping into unfamiliar waters.
As the swimming season reaches its peak, insurers are warning about carelessness that can lead to serious injuries. Data from BTA Baltic Insurance Company show that along with bruises and fractures, cuts from sharp stones, glass shards and other objects are frequent.
Examples include a child who cut their leg on glass in a lake during Midsummer, and an angler who slipped and broke an ankle. Over the past three years, BTA has paid more than €17,400 in compensation for such incidents.
Ivo Danče, Director of BTA Claims Department, explains that holidaymakers often overlook basic safety measures like slippery surfaces and hidden sharp objects. Special attention should be paid to children, who are more prone to injury.
Insurers also urge water sports enthusiasts to be cautious with water skis and jet skis. In one case, a water skier suffered a tendon rupture after failing to control the skis, while another person injured finger ligaments after falling off a jet ski.
The most severe outcomes, according to BTA, are linked to jumping into water. For instance, a swimmer who jumped in suffered neck vertebrae fractures and spinal cord damage, leading to disability. Other cases involved compression fractures or lower leg fractures requiring surgery.
Danče emphasizes that unlike bruises or fractures, spinal and spinal cord injuries can permanently alter a person's life, so it is advisable to swim only in familiar places and check water depth.
