Aimee Walker
An American tourist has died and his wife is in critical condition after a freak hot tub incident.
Jorge Guillen, 43, and Lizzette Zambrano, 35, from El Paso, Texas, were on vacation at the Sonoran Sea Resort in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, when the tragedy unfolded.
A GoFundMe page has been set up, with a tribute to Guillen reading: “Our best friends have experienced a horrible accident.
“Jorge had a heart of gold and was always there for family and friends. The love they shared was one for ages.”
Western Tech College, where Guillen was a student, also held a moment of silence for him during a graduation ceremony, reports KFOX14.
The trade school’s president, Maxine Valencia, told the station: “Those who knew [him] knew that he was enthusiastic. He was passionate. He was a real big family man. Definitely a very respectable, professional young man.”
The tragic incident occurred on June 11 at around 8:30 p.m. and heartbreaking footage captured the aftermath.
Officials are still investigating the exact details of what happened, however, it’s believed the jacuzzi had a surge of electricity run through it, as reported by TMZ.
According to the General Prosecutor’s Office for the state of Sonora, a witness noticed the guests were not moving in the jacuzzi, per MailOnline.
They told officers a fellow guest tried to enter the hot tub after noticing the couple was unresponsive, however, they were shocked as they tried to reach them.
It is not currently known if any other guests were injured during the incident.
A witness who spoke to Telemundo says bystanders attempted to pull the couple out of the water but were allegedly hindered by the electric current.
When authorities arrived at the scene, Guillen was reportedly submerged underwater.
One witness claims the complex has shut down all its hot tubs.
The attorney general’s office for the state has reportedly launched an investigation into Guillen’s cause of death.
According to the Mexican outlet Norte Digital, Zambrano was transported to a U.S. hospital on the border.
FOX25 reports that the 35-year-old, who remains in critical condition, has filed a lawsuit against the parent companies of Sonoran Sea Resort.
Zambrano said she was shocked when attempting to help her husband out of the water, according to a lawsuit filed in a Texas court, per People.
The suit also claims it took resort staff ten minutes to respond while her husband was being electrocuted and drowned.
Zambrano alleges the resort should have known of the fault electric warning and placed signs to warn visitors.
Attorney Tej Paranjpe states in a press release: “There is no reason this should have happened.
“Hotels and resorts have a duty to ensure guest safety. At no point did resort staff think to engage an emergency shut-off, not to mention warn guests of a faulty, dangerous amenity.”
The lawsuit asks a court to stop the resort from fixing the jacuzzi to preserve the evidence.
Zambrano is seeking more than $1 million for damages, court costs, expenses, and penalties.
A GoFundMe on behalf of the couple’s families has raised more than $54,000, at the time of writing.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that over 17 years, there have been 47 incidents involving injury or death in hot tubs, pools, and spas, per Electrocution Lawyers PLLC.
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