After pool drain accident severely injured Pittsburgh-area girl, parents share warning

What was supposed to be the final day of a picture-perfect vacation quickly turned into a nightmare for one Pittsburgh-area family when a hazard in a resort pool caused a devastating injury to their young daughter. 

Now they're sharing their story to warn other families about a danger many people never think to check.

Pool drain seriously injures girl 

Paloma Quatrini was just days away from her fourth birthday when the accident happened at an upscale resort in Mexico. Her parents, Carolina Velez and Adam Quatrini, remember how perfect everything seemed leading up to the moment their lives changed.

"They had someone coming behind you cleaning your footsteps, so you wouldn't even see someone's wet feet on the ground," said Carolina Velez, Paloma Quatrini's mother. "There was that attention to detail, and then this happens."

The family said they were all standing around the resort's shallow baby pool before lunch while the kids played in the water. But beneath the water, something had gone terribly wrong. The protective grate covering the pool drain had come undone, exposing a powerful suction opening. When Paloma Quatrini sat down in the shallow water, the exposed drain trapped her instantly. Her father rushed to pull her free, but the pressure was too great.

Pool pumps circulate thousands of gallons of water every minute, creating intense suction when a drain is uncovered. The force was so strong that Paloma Quatrini could not be pulled away.

In a moment of quick thinking, Velez's sister realized the pool pump needed to be shut off, but the emergency shutdown wasn't easily accessible.

"They had to go underneath the pool to turn it off," Velez said.

It took nearly two terrifying minutes before the suction stopped and Paloma Quatrini was finally freed. Paloma Quatrini's grandfather, a physician, immediately realized the injury was serious.

Doctors discover severe condition

At a nearby hospital, doctors initially believed Paloma Quatrini was suffering from a condition known as anal prolapse. But once surgery began, doctors discovered something far more severe. The suction from the pool drain had caused catastrophic internal damage and pulled her small intestine from her body. The condition, known medically as evisceration, is extremely rare and often fatal.

Paloma Quatrini was rushed by air to UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where specialists prepared for an extraordinary effort to save her life.

Pediatric transplant surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Bond remembers the emergency call.

"As a dad, firstly, it's a horrifying accident," said Bond. "Unfortunately, we've dealt with this before. We've actually done an intestinal transplant many years ago on a pediatric patient who'd come from another country." 

Over the course of two and a half months, surgeons performed seven operations to stabilize Paloma Quatrini and reconstruct what they could of her digestive system.

The damage left her without nearly all of her small intestine — the organ responsible for absorbing nutrients from food.

"All of the small bowel was gone and then we brought the colon up and joined the colon to the small bowel, so essentially she's connected, but she has no small bowel," Bond explained. 

Today, Paloma Quatrini survives thanks to a treatment called total parenteral nutrition, which delivers nutrients directly into her bloodstream through a central line.

Each night at 7 p.m., her parents connect the line so her body can receive the nutrients it needs. Twelve hours later, they disconnect it.

For now, anything Paloma Quatrini eats by mouth is simply a bonus. Her favorite foods include dumplings, salmon skin and Thai dishes.

In the future, doctors say she may be a candidate for an intestinal transplant.

Family shares what to watch out for in pools

Tragedies like Paloma Quatrini's have happened before.

In Minnesota, 6-year-old Abigail Taylor died after a similar pool drain injury in 2007. Her case helped push Congress to pass the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, a federal law requiring anti-entrapment drain covers and other safety measures in public pools and spas.

The law was named after Virginia Graeme Baker, the granddaughter of former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker, who drowned in a hot tub accident after becoming trapped by a drain.

However, even with these regulations, accidents can still occur if drain covers break, loosen or exceed their expiration date. Pool chemicals, sunlight and wear can weaken the plastic and screws that secure them.

Paloma Quatrini's parents now share their story in hopes of preventing similar tragedies. They encourage everyone to remember two simple safety checks whenever visiting a pool.

First, inspect the drain covers. Make sure every drain has a secure cover that is firmly attached and not cracked or loose. 

Secondly, know where the pool's emergency shutoff button is located. If someone becomes trapped by suction, shutting off the pump can release the pressure immediately.

If you don't see these things, Paloma Quatrini's parents say to ask the pool staff.

Parents hope sharing story raises awareness 

Despite everything she has endured, Paloma Quatrini is still very much a typical little girl. She recently celebrated her fifth birthday with a party featuring dual "Hello Kitty" and "Pink Pony Club" themes. She loves the color pink and enjoys performing, singing and asking endless questions.

Her parents hope that by sharing their story, other families will learn about a pool danger that many people never notice.

"And every time we meet someone and they hear the story, my first thing out of my mouth is please tell this to everybody you know," Velez said.