| North Carolina Department of Environmental
Health, October 1998
EXAMPLES OF DOCUMENTED CASES: EXAMPLES OF DOCUMENTED CASES: VICTIM’ S DATE AGE & SEX LOCATION INJURY 1. June 20, 4 - year old Henderson, N.C. partial1981 male wading pool disembowelment 2. July 2, 18 - month old Los Angeles, Cal. partial1981 male wading pool disembowelment 3. July 10, 4 - year old Birmingham, Ala. partial1981 female wading pool disembowelment 4. July 17, 4 - year old Philadelphia, Pa. partial1981 male wading pool disembowelment 5. August 9, 4 - year old Walnut Creek, Cal. partial 1981 female wading pool disembowelment 6. June 16, 3 -1991 Zoe Savery wading pool disembowelment 7. June 10, 5 - year old Monroe, N.C. minor injuries1993 female wading pool 8. June 24, 5 - year old Cary, N.C. lost 80% of her1993 Valerie Lakey wading pool large intestine and 50% of her small intestine |
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Several other incidents have been documented within N.C. in the past three years. |
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According to the National Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are an estimated 3,679 injuries each year related to swimming pool equipment. |
COMMENTS:
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"To the best of my knowledge, all of the suction injuries has occurred in pools where only one outlet to the pump existed. The real danger of suction injury exists at [these types of pools]...Once the drain cover is removed, a child's bottom can occlude the drain pot subjecting the child to suction from the pump and the inertia of hundreds of pounds of water moving througl pool piping [as fast as] 12 feet per second." |
James Hayes, Public Swimming Pools Program Manager (NC- DEHNR)
Only changes in pool design will prevent [these injuries] completely...pools should be modified so that water circulation systems are linked to the last two outlets to deminish the vacuum forces that pumps can generate."
C. Scott Hultman, MD and Roger Morgan, MD, UNC School of Medicine
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North Carolina Department of Environmental Health, October 1998, Archive page 13 |
