Wading Pool Drain Sucks Out Girl's Intestine

[DrummerDeanna]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...79/detail.html

MINNEAPOLIS -- A 6-year-old Edina, Minn., girl is hospitalized after a freak accident at a swimming pool.

Abigail Taylor was severely injured Friday when she sat over an open drain hole in a wading pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club. According to a posting by her family on the Caring Bridge Web site, the drain's powerful suction tore out part of her intestinal tract.

The family's account said it's a "medical miracle" that she's still alive. The online account has since been taken down.


Her father, Scott Taylor, told WCCO-TV that the suction caused a 2-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, the family's lawyer, Bob Bennett, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

"This could literally be happening if you're holding your child's hand," said Bennett. "These filtration systems are meant to be covered and secure. You don't think the filtration system will literally tear your organs from your body, and it's not a risk your child would understand."

Taylor is in serious condition at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. A lawyer for the family said she was conscious and able to speak but that she faces a series of surgeries and could be in the hospital for some time.

Abigail was in serious condition Wednesday at Children's Hospital. Her condition wasn't available Thursday.

According to The Saint Paul Pioneer Press, when the suction, which equals at least 300 pounds per square inch, sucks hair or body parts, it can trap swimmers underwater. The paper reported that this can cause people to drown even if people are trying to pull them away from the drain. Also, an open drain can suction organs out of the body, the paper reported.

Bennett said that the swimming pool's drain hole was improperly uncovered.

However, the golf club's general manager told the St. Paul Pioneer Press he didn't think anything was wrong with the pool. He referred questions to the attorney for the club's insurance company, who declined to comment.