Girl Injured In Gruesome Pool Accident

Pump Sucked Out Part Of 6-Year-Old's Intestinal Tract After She Sat On Drain In Wading Pool

(AP)  A 6-year-old girl has been hospitalized after a horrifying accident at a swimming pool, when she sat on an open drain and a powerful suction pump tore out part of her intestinal tract.

Abigail Taylor was injured in the wading pool on June 29, according to her family.

Her father, Scott Taylor, told WCCO-TV that the suction caused a two-inch tear in Abigail's rectum and pulled out much of her small intestine. Doctors had to remove the part of her intestines that remained, according to the family's lawyer, Bob Bennett.

Abigail remained in intensive care at Children's Hospital on Thursday and appears to be doing better, Bennett said.

She was to undergo surgery on Friday, Bennett said. "She'll receive her nutrition through a port for the rest of her life," he said.

Bennett said the swimming pool's drain hole was improperly uncovered. However, the general manager of the club where the pool is located told the St. Paul Pioneer Press he did not think anything was wrong with the pool. He referred questions to the attorney for the club's insurance company, who declined to comment.

Several states have passed pool safety laws after children drowned or were disemboweled by drain suction. North Carolina, for instance, requires pools to have dual drains to diffuse the force of the suction and prevent children from being trapped.

[RMS47]

It's always a tragedy when a child drowns. I'm the pool operator at our local YMCA. I teach and preach safety and all the lifeguards know I'm a "letter-of-the-law" kind of guy when it comes to safety. There is no room for error. Teach you child to swim early.

All commercial pools should have a safety drain mandated by Congress.


Go to:

http://www.clean-pool-and-spa.com/swimming-pool-drains.html

www.clean-pool-and-spa.com/swimming-safety.html

for more info.

[nothappyatall]

Well, it WAS a discussion til poisonbear jumped in, cursed and flooded and tried to have the entire comment boards removed, it's back on track but it will close shortly- 48 or 72 hours after a story is run the comments closes.

[erasmus6]

newsterl

You call that mess a discussion?
Really wasn't any point in making a comment with all the b-u-l-lsh-it going on in here.

[nothappyatall]

Yeah too soon, a day late and a dollar short erasmus6 , that your only contribution in here to the discussion?

[erasmus6]

I guess I spoke too soon.

[erasmus6]

Thank heavens you have all finally shut the hell up! GEEZ!

[nothappyatall]

NSKduke; Caused by god is why, no explanation needed- part of his 'mysterious plan' AMEN!

Ok, Robert, you said;

"imaginary exceptions or emotions(concert pianist? If it were my kid?)... with such hallucinations and empathetic tripe"

I used reality as an example, take your pick- pianist/musician, computer user, artist, mechanic, whatever, take the loss of sight, hearing as more examples- an airline pilot loses his sight, a 9/11 dispatcher loses her hearing, a symphony conductor loses his arms in accidents caused by neglegence or willfull acts.
It's easy for you to sit on the sideline with rose colored glases and want CAPS, especially since it's not YOUR body affected or your kid, guarantee you would feel different if it directly involved YOU.

"In fact, this is the exact reason why our court systems don't permit non-witness relatives of victims to testify in court until after a verdict is read"

They cant testify because it would become a circus and disruptive, they are allowed to submit victim impact statements, but in reality their testimony has no bearing on the crime, law or the written penalty. if it's 5-10 years in jail on the books, 20 for kidnapping that's the penalty regardless of family testimony, as it should be.

[nskduke]

This truely was a sad story. Why must this things happen?

[robertkjjj]

The fact that none of you want give up any of your rights to SUE SUE SUE; well, it just says it all, all, all. This country's legal system, insurance system, and medical industry are in a hideous state, and it's people like you who want to maintain the status quo who are doing absolutely nothing to help. They say people get the government they deserve, and after reading the comments from the numerous lawsuit-happy shortsighted people on this thread, I can see why this country is going nowhere fast.
Oh, and to the few of you that like to deal in imaginary exceptions or emotions(concert pianist? If it were my kid?), I%u2019d tell you: you'll never effect change or better our system with such hallucinations and empathetic tripe. In fact, this is the exact reason why our court systems don't permit non-witness relatives of victims to testify in court until after a verdict is read. Emotions do not count as evidence or logic, and also do not help to create good law, standards, or limitations. Rules and regulations are created in the absence of bias or emotion, and that is simply the way it is, whether or not it was "my kid", "your kid", or even baby ducks. Case made, and case closed.

[nothappyatall]

Robert you are assuming, I for one run a small mail-order business on Ebay and my web site PT and I work full time at a skilled job. I OWN my house with no mortgage- I paid it off in full with extra payments on the prin in 4 years on a 10 year loan.

If you lost a fingertip and sued for $10 million, is that excessive? I don't know, what if you were a life-ling 30 year old renowned concert pianist, recording artist and performer who earns your living that way and now you CANT? is the loss of your finger worse for you and worth more in a suit than the loss of a finger on an 80 year old retiree? I think so! If there were caps and the finger cap was $10,000 would you feel fully compensated as a pianist who now can't work at your skill any more? If you were 80 on SS, have arthritis and they offered you $10,000 for the loss of your pinky, would you feel that would cover it?