Monday, April 7, 2008

With warm weather coming, watch out for pool and spa dangers

A timely warning:

The 15-year-old went underwater to see how long she could hold her breath when suddenly, something pulled on her, slamming her back against the bottom and sending her legs up toward the sky.

Walker dislodged herself and noticed her back hurt badly. Later she saw how her skin had been sucked into the drain leaving an imprint on her back.

Her mom dubbed it a "Florida tattoo." But it's no joke. That mark demonstrates how close her daughter came to dying.

I figured Walker had gotten off the drain because she's athletic and strong.

But experts in suction entrapment, the term used to describe what happened, told me that she was saved by a couple of inches of fabric.

"Her bathing suit strap stopped her from making a full seal. If it hadn't, she would have never gotten off," said Anthony Sirianni, president of Stingl Products, a company that sells safety devices that prevent these types of accidents.


More here.

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