A three-year-old girl astonishingly survived a grave incident at a swimming pool, where a malfunctioning drain tore out her small intestine during a family getaway in Mexico.
As reported in a lawsuit, Paloma Quatrini was on the verge of her fourth birthday in February 2025 when the protective grill of the kiddie pool's drain at Punta Mita Resort in Nayarit malfunctioned, sucking her into the water while she was playing in the shallow end.
Her parents, Carolina Velez and Adam Quatrini, desperately tried to retrieve their daughter from the intense suction, but it proved too powerful for them to overcome.
After two agonizing minutes, they managed to locate the emergency shut-off of the pump, and Paloma, now five years old, was rushed to the hospital.
According to the filed complaint, the suction was so forceful that it literally ripped her small intestine from her body, causing extensive internal injuries.
Paloma was airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, her family’s home city, where she underwent multiple critical surgeries over several months. These included a complex operation to reconstruct her digestive system.
Dr. Geoffrey Bond informed CBS News, "All of the small bowel was gone. We brought the colon up and joined it to what remains of the small bowel, effectively connecting her but leaving her without a functioning small intestine."
Paloma’s parents now administer a nightly nutrient supply directly into her bloodstream through a catheter as she might require an organ transplant in the future.
The family has initiated legal proceedings against Hayward, the producer of the pool drainage system.
Initially, Carolina Velez and Adam Quatrini submitted a complaint in Pittsburgh in July, including several other parties like the resort; however, this was later withdrawn. Hayward responded with a motion to dismiss, arguing their lack of responsibility since the event occurred in Mexico.
Paloma's family has since refiled their lawsuit, now with Hayward as the only defendant, back in Pittsburgh, as most witnesses live in that area. Family attorney Robert Zimmerman expressed to People Magazine, "A three-year-old girl should not have to fight her case in a foreign land where she nearly lost her life."
He added further concerns, stating, "These parents have no desire to return to Mexico where this tragic event took place."
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