Louisiana’s lakes, rivers, and bayous are beautiful to behold from a distance, but when you get closer, you can tell how scary they are. What is all that algae on the surface of the water, and are those beady eyes and a scaly snout peering out from under it? That stench that hangs in the air for approximately half the year in Louisiana does not come from the magnolia trees; it comes from the river and all the microorganisms in its ecosystem. You can’t go wrong by boating or fishing in the lakes and rivers of Louisiana, but only the bravest people swim. If you are used to swimming in swimming pools, you might be surprised by how different it is. There is no chlorine to keep the water clear enough that you can see all the way to the bottom, and the chances are practically zero that someone twice your size will swim up behind you and take a bite out of your leg. If you got injured while swimming in a lake or river in Louisiana, contact a Houma personal injury lawyer.
If the Gators and Amoebae Don’t Get You, the Laws of Physics Will
Swimming pools do not have any of the creatures that make Louisiana cuisine world famous, but they also do not have the creatures that can kill you. Of all the hazards of swimming in natural freshwater, alligators are the ones that loom the largest in people’s minds. Even though Louisiana’s alligator population is not as big or as aggressive as Florida’s, a gator did bite a child who was swimming in Bayou St. John earlier this year.
Perhaps you should be more afraid of the creatures you do not see. If you swim in natural freshwater, you risk being exposed to the Naegleria fowleri amoeba, which can cause a parasitic disease called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) if it enters the nostrils. PAM has a low survival rate, and several cases have occurred in the United States each year since the cause of PAM was discovered. The amoeba that causes PAM cannot survive in saltwater or in chlorinated swimming pools.
Even if you are a strong swimmer, the risk of drowning is greater in natural bodies of water than in swimming pools because the water is deeper and the current is stronger. In May 2025, a 15-year-old girl drowned in the Ouachita River in Monroe. Her friends called the police when they saw her go under the water and not resurface. The rescue team found her body an hour after the girl’s friends made the call. The Monroe Police Department later issued a warning that it is not safe to swim in the Ouachita River.
Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About Personal Injury Cases
A personal injury lawyer can help you if you were injured in an accident while swimming in natural freshwater in Louisiana. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana, to set up a consultation about your case.
Sources
https://www.knoe.com/2025/05/22/teen-girl-drowns-ouachita-river-while-swimming-with-friends/
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