Texas woman jumped in hot tub to try to rescue husband who died by electrocution at Mexico resort, lawsuit says

An American tourist was killed and electrocuted in a hot tub in a Mexican beach town earlier this week, an incident that prompted his family to sue the resort for wrongful death and negligence, his lawyers said. he said. The man’s wife tried to rescue her drowning husband after he was struck by the current, but she herself was electrocuted and hospitalized with serious injuries, according to the lawsuit.

The injured woman, 35-year-old Lizette Zambrano, filed the lawsuit seeking $1 million in damages from U.S.-based resort operators in her hometown of El Paso, Texas, on Friday, days after she was removed from resort hot tub. town of Puerto Peñasco, an hour south of the border.

The Arizona defendants, vacation rental company Casago International and travel company High Desert Travel, did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, which blames them for electrical wiring failures in the hot tub that caused the couple’s electrocution and 43- death of Jorge Guillen, one year old.

In addition to failing to prevent and warn guests about the dangers of the hot tub, resort managers also failed to react quickly enough to the emergency, the claim states.

The tragedy occurred when Zambrano, her husband Guillen and several other family members arrived at the Sonoran Sea Resort, a high-rise condominium complex, on Tuesday for a vacation, the lawsuit said. Zambrano and Guillen went to the hot tub to watch the sunset at sea.

They didn’t know there was an electric current rippling through the water in the hot tub.

“It’s absolutely terrifying,” Tej Paranjpe, an attorney at Houston-based law firm PMR, told the Associated Press.

The moment Guillen stuck his foot inside the hot tub, the current hit him. He fell into a direct electrical circuit and quickly became trapped underwater.

Zambrano jumped in to rescue her drowning husband, then was jolted by the current and also sucked in, according to the lawsuit. cell phone footage of the incident shows the oceanfront pool deck descending into chaos as screaming guests ran in, tried to help the couple and then discovered the danger of the hot tub water. The video appears to show someone trying to perform chest compressions on a person lying on the floor.

Although a guest was able to pull Zambrano from the water, efforts to rescue Guillen with poles and various metal tools only shocked more and more people, the lawsuit claims.

“There was not a single team member who did anything while Jorge was continually shocked underwater,” Paranjpe said.

Ten minutes passed, Zambrano’s lawyers said, before resort workers responded to tourists’ calls for help. The manager was finally able to rescue Guillen from the bottom of the hot tub, but it was too late.

Zambrano was flown by helicopter to Phoenix, Arizona, and was released from the hospital on Friday.

Mexican prosecutors in the state of Sonora reported that investigators were looking into “the origin of the electrical failure” and would carry out field visits in the coming days.

“A heart of gold”

Jim Ringquist, director of sales for Sonoran Resorts Inc., said in a statement last week: “We are all terribly devastated by the tragedy that recently occurred at Sonoran Sea Resort.”

He also said that the company’s CEO, Fernando Anaya, died unexpectedly on Wednesday of a heart attack, “adding another unfortunate tragedy to the already sad situation.”

A GoFundMe launched for the couple had raised more than $55,000 as of June 19.

“Jorge had a heart of gold and was always available to help his family and friends,” says the GoFundMe. “The love they shared lasted for centuries.”

Electrocution in hot tubs due to faulty underwater lighting and faulty pumps remains rare, but experts warn that vigilance is needed to ensure equipment is properly maintained.

Between 2002 and 2018, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported 47 incidents involving injury or death in hot tubs, pools and spas across the country.

Last June, a man died after an apparent electrocution while repairing a hot tub inside a Phoenix gym.