Mexico Pool Death: Girl’s Intestine Sucked Drain 💔

A family vacation to Mexico turned tragic when a young girl was severely injured by a broken pool drain just days before her fourth birthday.

Pool Drain Injury Alters Girl’s Life

Carolina Velez and Adam Quatrini, from Pittsburgh, were vacationing with their two children, Paloma and Enzo, at an upscale resort when the incident occurred. On the final day of their trip, three-year-old Paloma was playing in a shallow baby pool when a loose grate cover exposed a powerful drain suction.

“I ran over and tried to pull her up and the pressure was so great,” Mr. Quatrini said.

It took approximately two minutes for Ms. Velez’s sister to locate and activate the pool’s emergency shut-off, which required access underneath the pool.

Initial examination by doctors suggested Paloma had suffered an anal prolapse, considered a relatively minor issue. However, during surgery, the surgeon discovered Paloma’s small intestine had been pulled into the drain and was no longer in her body.

A report described the incident as the pool drain “eviscerated Paloma, ripping her small intestine’s from her body.”

Paloma was flown to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh on her fourth birthday, where pediatric transplant surgeon Geoffrey Bond performed three surgeries within five days.

“It’s a horrifying accident, unfortunately we’ve dealt with this before, we’ve actually done an intestinal transplant many years ago on a paediatric patient who had come from another country, similar accident,” Dr. Bond said.

Dr. Bond ultimately performed seven operations over two and a half months to save Paloma’s life. She now requires nightly nutrient infusions via a catheter that reaches her heart, as she has no small bowel.

Ms. Velez stated the family has been “in survival mode for the past year.” Similar incidents have occurred previously, including the 2008 death of six-year-old Abigail Taylor in Minnesota.

Paloma’s parents are now advocating for increased awareness of pool drain safety, urging caregivers to inspect drain covers and locate emergency shut-off mechanisms. “Every time we meet someone and they hear the story, my first thing is please tell this to everybody you know,” Ms. Velez said.