Tragedy struck when Paloma Quatrini and her family were spending time in a pool at the Punta Mita Resort in Mexico

NEED TO KNOW

• A young girl was seriously injured in a freak accident involving a hotel pool drain during her family’s final day of vacation
• Tragedy struck when Paloma Quatrini and her family were spending time in a pool at the Punta Mita Resort in Mexico in 2025
• The child underwent “a dozen surgeries,” per a complaint, and her family is now suing the designer and manufacturer of the pool drain

A young girl was seriously injured in a freak accident that took place during her family's final day of vacation.

Paloma Quatrini, now 5, was days away from her fourth birthday when she and her parents, mom Carolina Velez and dad Adam Quatrini, were at the Punta Mita Resort in Mexico in February 2025, according to a complaint filed on March 16 and obtained by PEOPLE. 

Per the complaint, the Pittsburgh-based family was spending time at a shallow kids' pool at the resort's Kupuri Beach Club, when Paloma, joined by her younger brother and cousins, sat down in the water.

At one point, the pool drain's protection allegedly became defective and trapped the young girl, per the complaint, which states it was designed and manufactured by Hayward.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a company spokesperson said, "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."

Legal representatives for the company, as well as a representative for the Punta Mita Resort, have not responded to PEOPLE's requests for comment.

According to CBS News, Adam and Carolina tried to pull their daughter away from the drain, but the force of the pressure was too strong.

The family members also struggled to find an emergency button to shut off the pool pump. "They had to go underneath the pool to turn it off," Carolina's sister told the outlet.

Paloma was eventually taken to a nearby hospital. "The suction was so strong that [her] small intestine was ripped out of her body," the complaint states.

The child was later flown to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where Dr. Geoffrey Bond performed life-saving surgery.

The pediatric transplant surgeon recalled getting the call to try to save Paloma's life, telling CBS News, "As a dad, firstly, it's a horrifying accident."

The complaint states that Paloma remained in the hospital "for months, enduring over a dozen surgeries."

One procedure attempted to reconstruct her digestive system, CBS News reported.

"All of the small bowel was gone," Bond told the outlet. "We brought the colon up and joined the colon to the small bowel, so essentially she's connected, but she has no small bowel."

Now, Paloma, who recently turned five years old, undergoes a parenteral nutrition treatment that delivers nutrients into her bloodstream.

Her parents connect the tube at around 7 p.m. local time each night and leave it on for 12 hours, per CBS News.

"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," the complaint states.

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Paloma's family filed an initial complaint in the case in Pittsburgh back in July. In it, they named Hayward and several additional defendants, including the resort, but it was later withdrawn, stating that the added defendants "have no involvement in this matter."

Legal representation for Hayward filed a motion to dismiss the original case, highlighting how the incident occurred in Mexico, not Pennsylvania. Lawyers argued that Hayward, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is not incorporated with and does not execute business operations in the state.

Paloma's family has since refiled the lawsuit, this time naming only Hayward as a defendant. It is still filed in Pittsburgh, because a majority of the witnesses involved reside in the area, attorney Robert Zimmerman said.

“A 3-year-old girl should not have to litigate her case in a foreign country where she was almost killed,” the lawyer said in a statement to PEOPLE.

Zimmerman added, "The last thing these parents want to do is go back to Mexico, where this horrific incident occurred.”

Paloma's parents are seeking damages exceeding $150,000 and a jury trial, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.

They are also now encouraging others to inspect swimming pool drain covers and be aware of where the emergency shutoff button is located before getting in.

"Every time we meet someone, and they hear the story, my first thing out of my mouth is, 'Please tell this to everybody you know,' " Carolina told CBS News.

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