After 11 Years in a Coma, Girl Dies
A Santa Ana girl who spent 11 years in a coma after nearly drowning in a swimming pool has died, authorities said Saturday.
Ariel Caldwell was 3 when the accident occurred on March 26, 1989. She was 14 when she died Tuesday at Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center, said Bruce Lyle, supervising deputy coroner.
Officials said the girl apparently lived at least part of the time she was unconscious with her parents.
“Imagine the parents going through that pain all those years,” said Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Abbott.
“As a parent, when do you give up? Or do you? It’s tragic.”
The coroner’s office listed the cause of death as pneumonia that officials believe was caused by Ariel’s years in a coma.
“She was immobile, so she was more susceptible to pneumonia,” Lyle said.
The near-drowning occurred in an unincorporated area of Santa Ana. Authorities said they did not have details about the accident because it occurred so long ago.
Ariel’s accident occurred the same month that one child died and two others were left brain-damaged during a pool accident at a day-care center in nearby North Tustin.
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