Investigation: Minn. pool where girl, 6, was fatally injured had flaws

Investigators found several problems with a Minneapolis golf club swimming pool where a 6-year-old girl suffered fatal injuries because of a drain's powerful suction, state health officials said Wednesday.

Abigail Taylor died last month at a Nebraska hospital after undergoing triple organ transplant surgery around Christmastime. She was in the kiddie pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park last June when sat on a drain and had part of her intestinal tract sucked out.

The Minnesota Health Department said a drain cover wasn't securely attached and improper fasteners had been used. It also said the drain may have had excessive suction because a second suction line may have been blocked. The department fined the club $10,000.

Investigators said the water in the pool had been cloudy so the drain wasn't visible.

The Taylors are suing the golf club and the pool equipment manufacturer.

The club has appealed the fine and the matter is to be settled by an administrative law judge. The club's attorney, Dan Haws, said the health department's investigation is incomplete.

Haws declined to specifically dispute any of the state's findings, which were part of a wider, annual Health Department look into incidents at swimming pools.

Health Department spokesman Doug Schultz said investigators actually uncovered $70,000 worth of violations by the club, but that state law puts a cap of $10,000 in total fines for such an incident.