Abigail Taylor

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Abigail Rose Taylor (died March 20, 2008) was a young girl from Edina, Minnesota whose accidental injury and eventual death led to new US federal legislation to improve the safety of swimming pools.

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[edit] Description of the incident

On June 29, 2007, Taylor's parents took her to the Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park. She was sitting over the open drain of a wading pool when her buttocks were sucked onto the aperture. The suction tore out a large section of her intestinal tract through her rectum. Her parents were in the general vicinity at the time of the accident, but neither they nor any of the club staff were directly observing the pool.

[edit] Aftermath

The incident has been described by some media reports as a "freak" accident.[1] However, the risk of this sort of accident has been published before in the United States[2] and cases in other countries have also been documented[3]. Furthermore, Taylor's parents alleged that the golf club "was aware of the serious risk to swimmers in the kiddie pool [...] but did not take action to eliminate that risk". They also alleged that the manufacturer of the drain outlet was aware of the potential risk, but failed to issue adequate warnings. The family filed suit against both parties.[4]

Between 1980 and 1996 in the United States, 15 other similar accidents involving evisceration and disembowelment caused by pool suction units had occurred[5]. However, Taylor's accident increased public awareness of pool safety and led to legislative change. In December 2007, President George W. Bush signed federal legislation that provides incentives for states to adopt comprehensive pool safety laws. Similar laws had been adopted in at least two states of Australia 20 years earlier.[6][7]

[edit] Injury and subsequent death

Taylor lost 21 feet (6.4 metres) of her small intestine in the accident, leaving her with short bowel syndrome. Following the accident, Taylor was hospitalized, and received transplants of her small intestine, liver and pancreas. She was unable to eat or drink, and required total parenteral nutrition. She died at the age of six due to complications resulting from her injuries.


[edit] References

  1. ^ Wading Pool Drain Sucks Out Girl's Organ
  2. ^ Industry article on the danger
  3. ^ Report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
  4. ^ Text of the lawsuit by Abigail's parents
  5. ^ WHO report on pool safety
  6. ^ Dept. of consumer protection information sheet
  7. ^ OCBA information page

[edit] External links