Maryland Accident Law Blog
Calls for better pool safety laws continue in Maryland, in the wake of a serious accident involving 6-year-old Abigail Taylor from Minnesota.
Taylor was swimming in a wading pool when the pool’s drain sucked up her intestines and ripped a hole in her rectum. The little girl passed out and fell onto the pool deck.
Abigail is being fed through a tube. She will have to wear a colostomy bag and receive nutrition through a port for as long as she lives.
An attorney representing Abigail and her family says that the drain was not covered properly.
According to Federal researchers, there are three other reported cases where a pool drain has disemboweled a person. 74 people have reportedly been trapped by drains.
Each year, one out of five children sustains serious injuries while in a swimming pool. Former U.S. Secretary James Baker, whose granddaughter drowned after getting caught in a spa drain, previously tried to pass a law making it mandatory that pools have multiple drains. The bill failed.
A child or adult can get trapped in a pool or spa drain when part of the person’s body or swimsuit (or any other clothing) gets stuck in the powerful suction.
In the US, at least 33 kids, ages 14 and under, died from 1985 to 2004 after being trapped in a pool or spa, while nearly 100 kids sustained serious injuries.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a pool/spa drain-related accident, you should contact a personal injury lawyer. There may have been a defect in the construction of the drain that led to your serious injury. Your personal injury lawyer can determine whether you or your injured loved one has grounds for a products liability case and can file a lawsuit on your behalf.
Pool Drain Pulls Small Intestine Out Of Young Girl, WJZ.com, July 6, 2007
Girl hospitalized after swimming pool drain tears out part of her intestinal tract, NCTimes.com, July 5, 2007
Former Secretary of State James Baker speaks in support of legislation intended to prevent accidental drowning, USA Safekids.org May 2, 2006
Related Web Resource:
Spas, Hot Tubs, and Whirlpools, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
For more than 10 years, Lebowitz and Mzhen has successfully represented injury victims in Maryland and Washington D.C. To speak with an experienced personal injury attorney, contact Lebowitz and Mzhen today. Your first consultation with us is FREE.