"Suddenly she started screaming in pain": 8-year-old trapped in a zimmer jacuzzi - and rushed to the hospital

A family vacation in a zimmer in the north ended in moments of horror: 8-year-old Yael (pseudonym) from Beit Shemesh was yesterday powerfully sucked into the suction opening of a jacuzzi. She was trapped inside for long minutes and unable to break free, while her family members tried with all their might to rescue her. After she was finally rescued, she was evacuated to the Pediatric Emergency Department at Hadassah Ein Kerem, where concerns arose that in addition to the severe injury to her back, damage was also caused to muscles, bones, and even her lungs.

"We went on a family vacation in the north, in a zimmer that included both a pool and a jacuzzi," the mother tells mako. "As parents of seven children, we always ensure full supervision in such places. When the children entered the jacuzzi, one mother was with them in the water and I stood outside. Everything was calm and everyone was enjoying themselves."

She continues: "My daughter sat down next to one of the jacuzzi openings, and suddenly she started screaming in pain. We ran to her and she said she couldn't move. Only her head was out of the water. We tried to pull her, but her body was tightly attached to the side of the jacuzzi. Several adults tried to release her, but failed."

The screams were replaced by an apathetic look, she had difficulty breathing. "Her screams suddenly turned into an apathetic look. She had difficulty breathing and I was terrified. We pressed the jacuzzi's off buttons again and again, but nothing happened. It continued to operate and suck her in with a strong vacuum. The minutes that passed felt like an eternity," she recalls.

She says that only after her husband located the jacuzzi's power cable and disconnected it from the electricity, the suction stopped - and the family managed to release the child. "When we took her out, we saw the big mark on her back. She was in a lot of pain and had difficulty breathing. We decided not to take risks and drove straight to Hadassah Ein Kerem. Although we were in the north, we know the hospital and trusted the staff there," she says.

In the Pediatric Emergency Department, Yael was received by Dr. Nurit Feinstein and Dr. Devorah Friedler. "When the father described the strength of the vacuum, it raised significant concern," says Dr. Feinstein. "In the examination, we saw a very large hematoma that covered most of the upper part of the back, along with swelling and significant sensitivity. Given the unusual finding on the skin, we feared that due to the vacuum, damage was also caused to bones, muscles, or even the lungs."

The staff decided to perform additional tests to rule out internal injury. "We completed a CT scan to ensure there was no damage to muscles, bones, or internal organs, especially the lungs. To spare her further pain, we made sure to perform the test while she was lying on her stomach, and she also received treatment with strong painkillers."

At the same time, Dr. Lior Solomon from the Department of Plastic Surgery was called for an assessment of the skin damage. "He emphasized that there is skin damage that could be partially irreversible and even become necrotic," describes Dr. Feinstein. "Therefore, it was decided to treat with antibiotic ointment and follow-up at the plastic surgery clinic. To our joy, no internal organ damage was found, and after treatment and pain relief, the child was released home."

According to the mother, the family members are still struggling to process what they went through. "I saw my daughter suffering, struggling to breathe, and I couldn't help her. We are very careful people, there was an adult next to the children all the time - and yet it happened before our eyes. We are not familiar with these systems at all and didn't know that the jacuzzi opening is supposed to be covered."

And she has a message in conclusion: "Many are now going out to zimmers and hotels, and the jacuzzi seems like an innocent attraction. But it is very important to check before entering the water that all suction openings are well covered, that there are no parts that can be easily pulled out, and that children are not messing with them. We were not aware of this danger, and I just hope that no other family will have to go through what we went through."