A Pittsburgh family has launched a high-stakes legal battle against pool equipment giant Hayward Industries following a catastrophic equipment failure that left a young girl with permanent, life-altering injuries.
The lawsuit, recently refiled in a Pennsylvania court, alleges that a defective pool drain at a luxury Mexican resort acted as a high-pressure vacuum, “ripping” the small intestine from then-three-year-old Paloma Quatrini.
In February 2025, the Quatrini family was concluding a stay at the Punta Mita Resort’s Kupuri Beach Club in Nayarit, Mexico. While playing in a shallow wading pool designed for children, Paloma sat on a drain manufactured and designed by Hayward.
According to the legal complaint, the drain’s protective cover failed, creating an inescapable suction trap. Witnesses describe a harrowing scene: Paloma’s parents, Adam and Carolina, desperately attempted to pull their daughter free, but the mechanical pressure proved too great. Family members were forced to locate and manually shut off the pool pump from an underground access point before the child could be released.
The physical toll of the incident was near-fatal. “The suction was so strong that [her] small intestine was ripped out of her body,” the complaint details.
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Paloma was medically evacuated to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where pediatric transplant surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Bond performed emergency life-saving procedures. The damage, however, was irreversible:
- Total Bowel Loss: Paloma’s entire small intestine was lost in the accident.
- Surgical Reconstruction: Surgeons were forced to connect her colon directly to the remaining digestive tract.
- Parenteral Nutrition: Now five years old, Paloma must be hooked to a nutritional IV for 12 hours every night to deliver essential nutrients directly into her bloodstream.
The Quatrini family is seeking damages exceeding $150,000, citing negligence and product liability. While Hayward expressed “sadness” over the injuries in a public statement, the company’s legal team previously moved to dismiss the case, arguing that the litigation should not take place in Pennsylvania since the incident occurred in Mexico and the company is headquartered in North Carolina.
The family’s attorney, Robert Zimmerman, countered that the victim and medical witnesses are based in Pittsburgh. “A 3-year-old girl should not have to litigate her case in a foreign country where she was almost killed,” Zimmerman stated.
As the legal process moves toward a potential jury trial, the Quatrinis are transforming their trauma into a public safety campaign. They are urging families to:
- Inspect Drain Covers: Ensure all pool drains have secure, domed, and undamaged covers.
- Locate E-Stops: Identify the emergency pump shutoff button before entering any pool or spa.
“Every time we meet someone… my first thing out of my mouth is, ‘Please tell this to everybody you know,'” says Carolina Velez.
