Death of Abigail Taylor
Abigail Rose Taylor (May 24, 2001 – March 20, 2008)[1] was a young girl from Edina, Minnesota, whose accidental injury and eventual death led to new federal legislation in the United States to improve the safety of swimming pools.
Description of the incident
On June 29, 2007, Abigail Taylor's parents took her to the Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Everyone was leaving the wading pool when Abigail Taylor accidentally fell on the open drain of the pool and her buttocks were sucked into the aperture. The suction tore out a large section of her small intestine through her rectum.
The incident was similar to a 1993 incident in North Carolina involving Valerie Lakey, who was five years old at the time. The pool drains in question in the Taylor and Lakey cases were manufactured by Sta-Rite, a division of Minnesota-based Pentair.[2]
Aftermath
The incident has been described by some media reports as a "freak accident".[3] However, the risk of this sort of accident has been published before in the United States,[4] and cases in other countries have also been documented.[5] 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.[6]
Injury and subsequent death
Taylor lost 6.5 meters (21 feet) of her small intestine in the accident, leaving her with short bowel syndrome. Following the accident, Taylor was hospitalized and received a rare triple organ transplant to replace her small intestine, liver, and pancreas, all of which were damaged in the accident. She was unable to eat or drink, and she required total parenteral nutrition. Taylor died nine months after the accident because of a transplant-related cancer. She was seven years old at the time of her death.
See also
- 1000 Ways to Die: This TV program has a story in Episode 30 that was loosely based on the facts of the Taylor case, only the death happened to a male celebrity modeled after Mel Gibson.
- Virginia Graeme Baker Pool And Spa Safety Act
References
- ^ Abigail Rose Taylor at Find a Grave
- ^ "Family Reaches Settlement that Guarantees $25 Million Payment". WRAL-TV. RALEIGH. January 14, 1997. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ^ "Wading Pool Drain Sucks Out Girl's Organ". WSB Atlanta. MINNEAPOLIS. 5 Jul 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ^ Industry article on the danger
- ^ Report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
- ^ Text of the lawsuit by Abigail's parents
External links
- Wading Pool Drain Sucks Out Girl's Organ
- Abigail Taylor receives triple-transplant at Omaha Hospital
- Abigail Taylor in "serious but stable condition" following triple-transplant
- Girl whose injury at Minn. swimming pool led to legislation dies, 9 months after accident
- Girl Sick, Lawsuit Filed In Pool Drain Accident
- Minn. Pool Drain Injury Prompts Safety Legislation
- Senate Commerce Committee OKs Pool Safety Bill
- Abigail Taylor's Story