Posted on 03/21/2008 10:24:00 AM PDT by RDTF
OMAHA, Neb. -- A 6-year-old girl who underwent a rare transplant surgery after her intestines were sucked out in a swimming pool has died in an Omaha hospital.
Abigail Taylor's family said she died Thursday evening. Bob Bennett is an attorney for the Taylor family. He said Abigail's parents were with her when she died at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
NMC's Paul Baltes confirmed to KETV NewsWatch 7 that Abigail died at the hospital, where she has been under care since the operation. Baltes was not sure whether an autopsy or exact cause of death would be sought or released to the public.
Abigail was injured when she sat on a pool drain, and its powerful suction ripped out part of her intestinal tract on June 29. She underwent transplant surgery in December at the Nebraska hospital to receive a new small bowel, liver and pancreas.
University of Nebraska Medical Center Chief of Transplantation Dr. Alan Langas said in December that Abigail was one of the oldest patients he's seen to receive such a transplant. The girl's father said she was "in and out of it" after the transplant.
After the injury, Abigail had to get her nourishment through an intravenous tube. If successful, the transplant should have allowed her to eat just like any other kid.
She later suffered setbacks, including a cancerous condition sometimes triggered by organ transplants.
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(Excerpt) Read more at ketv.com ...
RIP little angel....
We have raised screen baskets on out pools filter systems openings to prevent such. There have been a few cases of such injuries over the years.
Sad deal....
Horrific.
Prayers.
amen
Ditto, RIP sweet child.
Now I remember this. Oh man, that’s sad. God be with them.
poor little girl and so bad for her family.....
This happened here at a neighborhood pool in Raleigh, NC some years back - luckily the little girl survived. So sad...
RIP and prayer for the family.
Anything that strong and dangerous right around where a bunch of children are playing is about like keeping a live rattlesnake in the corner of a baby’s crib and hoping the baby will somehow avoid it. A safety basket device like you’re talking about is just too easy an answer not to use it.
How this child must have suffered. - God bless her.
Looking at a swimming pool, how can one tell if the filtering system/drains are unsafe? I do not have my own pool but we frequently swim in friends’ and families’ pools.
Thanks for the public service... if anyone has pictures of an unsafe configuration that would be great.
Bottom drains in swimming pools should be at least 2 metres apart and also have all openings 8mm in width or diameter (larger = easier entrapment, smaller = increased suction!). Ideally these bottom drains should have raised centres to prevent a bather sealing the entire drain with their body,
http://www.sensitivewatersolutions.co.uk/consultancynew.htm
http://swimming.about.com/od/swimmingpoolsandspas/a/pooldrainsafety.htm
Jim
I remember that case. Didn’t John Edwards represent the family and get a large settlement?
6 years old is way to young to die, but in reality it happens all the time. RIP little girl.
Poor kid, sad news.
This was the case and ensuing law suit that propelled to millionaire status one Breck Girl.
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