Father Honored For Dedication To Pool Safety 10 Years After Daughter's Death

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Her tragic death 10 years ago set wheels in motion to protect all children from the hidden dangers of swimming pools and hot tubs.

Abby Taylor was just 6 when she died in June 2007 after being trapped and injured by the suctioning force of a pool drain. Her tragic story compelled Senator Amy Klobuchar to sponsor the Virginia Baker Act, requiring all public pools and spas to install safety-compliant drain covers.

On Wednesday in Washington, on what would have been Abby's 16th birthday, her father Scott was honored while appearing at a Senate hearing on pool safety.

"Her hope was that no other child be hurt the way she was. And in the 10 years since the bill has been passed, not one child has been entrapped, or killed in a public pool. So I would call that a success, her hope her dream has become a reality," Scott Taylor, Abby's father, said.

The federal pool safety law bans the manufacture, sale or distribution of drain covers that don't meet anti-entrapment safety standards.