2002: James Baker's granddaughter died in a hot tub accident; her mother

[barbaraann]

protested the lack of government safety regulation for this type of accident.

Baker speaks out against suction entrapment
Pool & Spa News, June 6, 2005

Nancy Baker recently made an appearance on an NBC-TV news affiliate in Washington, D.C., decrying the government's lack of suction entrapment prevention measures. Baker lost her daughter, Graeme, at a pool party in 2002. The 7-year-old was suctioned to the floor of her hot tub by the drain's vortex, causing her to drown. Graeme was the granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker. Though the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sponsors safety guidelines recommending the use of lifesaving devices such as anti-vortex drains and safety vacuum release systems, Nancy Baker believes those recommendations should be mandatory. She also told the reporter that she thinks these types of deaths are not "accidents" because they are avoidable.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NTB/is_12_44/ai_n13819391

Note: As someone explained in a book a few years ago, BFEE types will hold grudges until the extinction of the cockroach.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

1. I'd hold a grudge if I lost a grandchild

that way, as well. It's funny, because I always think of Dems as more likely to go after consumer type issues, OSHA, etc.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. Repugs go after things like this only after it effects them personally...

Dems go after these things from the get go. That's the difference.

[barbaraann]

12. Just like Gordon Smith and youth suicide.

He suddenly developed an interest when his own son committed suicide.

[BrainRants]

2. How does John Edwards figure into this?

I seem to reacall one of his claims to fame was as a trial lawyer for this type of a lawsuit?

[barbaraann]

11. Yes, exactly.

I wonder if Edwards has ever addressed this particular accident.

[dogday]

4. John Edwards represented a little girl who had somewhat

the same experience but at a pool and it pull her insides out of her, it was terrible. Little girl survived, but maimed for life....

[tularetom]

7. Yeah, and they trashed Edwards over it

for being a "greedy trial lawyer". And made jokes about government regulation of hot tubs, and the usual r/w bullshit lambasting the government. Funny how they all cry for government regulation when they are affected.

Of course, I feel sorry for the family of the child that drowned but it seems somewhat two faced.

[niyad]

5. the drain "vortex" sucked the child down? was somebody actually

draining the hot tub with the child in it? is there a "drain vortex" if the tub ISN'T being drained? I know of no hot tub I've ever been in where there was a "drain vortex" when it wasn't being drained.

[brook]

6. Here you go.

hot tub info

[niyad]

9. thank you for the information. from what I read--it sounds like the child

was unsupervised, at the very least. very bizarre.

[hopein08]

8. As I remember from John Edwards' book...

where he talked about the case he had where the little girl had her intestines mostly sucked out...the cap on that particular pool drain was not properly attached and actually flipped up which resulted in the vortex around the drain.

Maybe that is kind of what happened here.

[physioex]

10. I see you have info already....

But in simple terms the tub jets water for massaging so it must get the water from back within the tub. So this drain was sucking in water the same force that it was propelling out. Make Sense?