Carolina Velez and Adam Quatrini wanted a peaceful, sunny vacation in Mexico and to escape the harsh Pennsylvania winter in February 2025. They left their home in Pittsburgh and traveled to the Punta Mita Resort to enjoy some family fun. They met up with extended family, and the kids spent their days enjoying the pool. Sadly, their 3-year-old daughter, Paloma, became seriously injured in a freak accident with the pool’s drainage system just days before her fourth birthday. Her life may never be the same, and the couple wants the responsible parties to pay.
Life at the resort felt like a dream for the family.
Velez told CBS News the resort seemed so beautiful, perfect, and safe until tragedy struck.
“They had someone coming behind you cleaning your footsteps, so you wouldn’t even see someone’s wet feet on the ground,” she said. “There was that attention to detail, and then this happens.”
Paloma and her family were in the resort’s kiddie pool when she suddenly got sucked into an exposed drain. Her father tried desperately to get her out, but the suction was far too strong. They could not easily locate the pool’s emergency shutoff as their daughter’s life seemingly hung in the balance. “They had to go underneath the pool to turn it off,” Velez said, per CBS News.
Doctors had to work very hard to save Paloma’s life.
She had an anal prolapse, and doctors at a nearby hospital began surgery, CBS News reported. Once they began the operation, they realized she had a much more serious injury. The suction had caused her small intestine to come out of her body. The rare and often fatal condition had to be treated promptly. Crews airlifted Paloma to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where doctors ultimately saved her life but not without significant changes.
Paloma lost nearly all of her small intestine.
Dr. Geoffrey Bond told CBS News he’ll never forget receiving the call. As a dad, he said it’s a “horrifying accident” but not completely unheard of. They saved Paloma, but her body is different today following the many operations she had in 10 weeks.
“All of the small bowel was gone, and then we brought the colon up and joined the colon to the small bowel, so essentially she’s connected, but she has no small bowel,” Bond explained.
Paloma’s parents feed her nutrients via a central line to her bloodstream. She’s hooked up for 12 hours at a time. She can still eat, but right now, the central line is sustaining her life.
The parents filed suit for more than $150,000.
People reported that Velez and Quatrini filed a lawsuit in Pittsburgh on March 16, 2026, more than a year after Paloma’s injury.
“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 explains.
The family’s lawyer, Robert Zimmerman, told People via a statement that the family intends to keep the litigation in Pittsburgh, where the majority of the witnesses live.
“A 3-year-old girl should not have to litigate her case in a foreign country where she was almost killed,” Zimmerman said. “The last thing these parents want to do is go back to Mexico, where this horrific incident occurred.”
A company spokesperson shared a statement with People regarding the accident. “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,” the statement reads.
This child is lucky to be alive, and her parents deserve every penny they can get. Yes, accidents happen, but this is one that should never even be considered as a possibility.
