Baltimore swim safety push warns of head and brain injuries
Baltimore swim staff are warning that a bad dive or slip can cause brain injury, not just drowning, as families head to the Weinberg Y in Waverly.
6,300 individuals were taken to emergency rooms for potential brain injury as Baltimore swim leaders sharpened a pool-safety message that goes beyond drowning. At the Weinberg Y in Waverly, the warning is simple and immediate: a calm-looking pool can still turn dangerous in a split second.
Grace Parfitt, the associate executive director of swim operations at The Y in Central Maryland, said the pool is one of the highest-risk areas at the Y because excitement, nerves and poor awareness can lead to accidents. Staff stress one rule above all others: if you do not know the depth of the water, do not dive. A bad dive can cause serious trauma even without a dramatic collision, and brain injuries can happen even when the head itself is not visibly struck.
At the Weinberg Y in Waverly on 33rd Street in Baltimore, children ages 10 to 12 may be in the pool area only if a legal guardian remains in the family center. Swimmers 13 and older may use the pool without adult supervision only after swim-test results are posted. Staff also tell swimmers to watch lane lines and flags, which help them judge where they are in relation to the wall and the water depth. For children and adults who are not strong swimmers, Coast Guard-approved life jackets add another layer of protection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries to understand who is most at risk and how injuries happen. Drowning injuries can cause brain damage and long-term disability. Water safety starts with swim classes and water competency, and a diving board should only be installed if there is a safe diving envelope.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s 2025 pool-and-spa report estimated an average of 6,300 pool- or spa-related nonfatal drowning injuries treated in emergency departments each year from 2022 through 2024, and an average of 357 pool- or spa-related fatal drownings each year from 2020 through 2022 among children younger than 15. Drowning remains the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4.
Baltimore City officials have also warned about pool hopping at Patterson Park Swimming Pool, where children were seen trespassing into the water.
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