A tragic event at a Mexican beach resort in Puerto Peñasco claimed the life of an American tourist, and his wife has been hospitalized after an incident involving a hot tub electrocution. According to 12 News, 43-year-old Jorge Guillen died and his wife, 35-year-old Lizette Zambrano, was critically injured when they were shocked by an electrical current while using a jacuzzi at the Sonoran Sea Resort, this couple, from El Paso, Texas, was enjoying what was supposed to be a serene sunset by the sea but the faulty wiring in the jacuzzi led to a catastrophic turn of events.
The pair was immediately thrust into a life-threatening situation when Jorge Guillen was struck by an electric charge upon entering the hot tub, leading to his death, and when Zambrano tried to rescue him, she too was electrocuted, suffering severe injuries that required her to be flown to a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where she was discharged on Friday, Zambrano is now seeking $1 million in damages from the resort's U.S.-based operators, which include Casago International and High Desert Travel, for wrongful death and negligence, as reported by 12 News. The resort has been accused of not only having faulty electric wiring but also a delayed emergency response.
Meanwhile, in a statement obtained by USA TODAY, the Sonora State Attorney General's Office said it is investigating the source of the electrical failure that led to the incident. The officials have not officially declared the cause of death for Guillen, but the circumstances strongly indicate electrocution as the tragic cause. Electrocution incidents in hot tubs, though rare, are not unheard of, with the Consumer Product Safety Commission reporting 66 combined incidents of injury or death from 2002 to 2018 linked to pools, spas, and hot tubs in the U.S.
Details from a cellphone video cited in the lawsuit show a frantic scene where guests attempted to aid the couple but soon discovered the perilous nature of the hot tub water, the lawsuit alleges that there was a delay of ten minutes before the resort staff responded to the emergency, a delay that proved fatal for Guillen and harrowing for Zambrano who, thanks to the efforts of a guest, was eventually pulled from the water. "There was not a single staff member that did anything while Jorge was getting continuously shocked again and again underwater," attorney Tej Paranjpe told 12 News.
