The Contra Costa Times reports that a toddler has died after falling into an irrigation canal near Bayliss, California. According to the report, the young boy fell into the Glenn County Canal and was in the water for nearly 10 minutes before his mother was able to pull him out and begin CPR.

Emergency responders were initially able to restore a faint heartbeat and the boy was taken to a Sacramento area hospital. He subsequently died. The sheriff's department notes, "We don't suspect negligence."

Whenever a tragic accident occurs on public property the question of safety arises and whether adequate measures were taken to protect against dangers. Generally, property owners have a duty to maintain their property in a reasonably safe manner. This means they must take measures to eliminate dangers they know of or should have been aware of or adequately warn of such dangers.

A warning may be a simple as placing a sign setting forth the potential hazard however, if a sign is not placed in a manner that is visible or sufficiently descriptive, the warning may not be adequate. Similarly, in many instances affirmative steps must be taken to protect against known dangers.

Premises liability cases can occur on any type of property and may involve any type of danger - from an open canal to a spilled liquid at a grocery store, the lack of a fence around a public pool, or the failure to warn of a dangerous construction zone. If an unreasonably dangerous condition exists and you are harmed as a result, it may be possible to recover compensation for your injuries.

Here, it is unknown how the accident occurred and how the boy was able to get into the irrigation canal. Many times, simple steps such as placement of a barrier or fence may be able to avert a tragedy.

For more information, or if you have been injured as the result of a dangerous condition on public property, contact the experienced Sacramento premises liability lawyers at the Law Offices of Frederick J. Sette for a free consultation.