A Pennsylvania girl was on vacation in Mexico with her family when she reportedly became trapped by a swimming pool’s drain and had her intestine “ripped out.”
Paloma Quatrini, now 5, was at the Punta Mita Resort in February 2025 with her parents Carolina Velez and Adam Quatrini, according to PEOPLE, who cited the March 16 complaint. Quatrini and her family were at a shallow kids’ pool in the Kupuri Beach Club of the resort when she took a seat in the water alongside her younger brother and cousins.
The family said the protective grate on the pool drain came off and exposed the suction opening, which trapped the child instantly, CBS News Pittsburgh reported. The child’s father allegedly attempted to free her but could not due to the powerful suction.
Pool pumps circulate water, and in doing so, contribute to intense suction when a drain ends up uncovered, according to the outlet. The girl’s aunt realized the pool pump needed to be shut off, but the emergency cutoff was not readily accessible, the family alleged.
“They had to go underneath the pool to turn it off,” the girl’s mother told the outlet.
Quatrini was transported to the hospital following the incident where doctors began surgery and allegedly determined the pool drain caused evisceration by pulling her small intestine from her body. She was flown to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and reportedly underwent seven surgeries to reconstruct her digestive system.
“All of the small bowel was gone and then we brought the colon up and joined the colon to the small bowel, so essentially she’s connected, but she has no small bowel,” pediatric transplant surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Bond said, according to CBS News Pittsburgh. (RELATED: Marine Allegedly Steals Anti-Tank Arsenal To Sell On America’s Streets)
Quatrini’s parents filed an initial complaint against Hayward, who the complaint said manufactured the drain, and several other defendants back in July 2025, PEOPLE reported.
“The suction was so strong that [her] small intestine was ripped out of her body,” the complaint alleged. “Because of the defective nature of the Hayward drain, [Paloma’s] life was tragically altered, and she will endure continued medical issues for the rest of her life.”
Hayward, which is based out of Charlotte, North Carolina, filed a motion to dismiss the case since the incident took place in Mexico. Attorneys argued that the firm does not conduct business operations in Pennsylvania. The child’s family has filed a suit again naming Hayward as the sole defendant. Her parents are pursuing a trial and over $150,000 in damage as a result of the incident, according to the complaint.
Hayward reacted to the incident in a statement to PEOPLE, saying, “Hayward is saddened to learn of the injuries Paloma Quatrini suffered while at the Kupuri Beach Club at the Punta Mita Resort in Nayarit, Mexico, and we wish her a speedy recovery.”
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act is a federal law that made anti-entrapment drain covers a necessity for public pools and spas in the U.S. The law is named for the granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker, who became trapped by a drain and drowned inside a hot tub, according to CBS News Pittsburgh.
Quatrini is not the first person to allegedly suffer a life-altering accident while on vacation.
A man from El Paso, Texas, died after he and his wife were electrocuted while in a jacuzzi at a Mexican resort in June 2024, officials said. Former New York Yankees player Brett Gardner’s 14-year-old son Miller died of carbon monoxide exposure while on vacation in Costa Rica in March 2025, according to authorities. Police said three Americans also died of carbon monoxide poisoning at a Sandals resort in the Bahamas in 2022.
The Daily Caller contacted Hayward, but has not heard back as of publication.