An American tourist died after being electrocuted in a hot tub in a Mexican beach town earlier this week, leading the family to file a lawsuit against the resort for wrongful death and negligence, according to their lawyers.
The man’s wife attempted to save her husband after he was electrocuted but was also shocked and hospitalized with severe injuries, the lawsuit states.
The injured woman, 35-year-old Lizette Zambrano, filed the lawsuit seeking $1 million in damages from the U.S.-based resort operators from her hometown of El Paso, Texas, on Friday, days after being medevaced from the hot tub at Puerto Peñasco, a resort town an hour south of the border.
The Arizona-based defendants, vacation rental provider Casago International and travel company High Desert Travel, did not respond to a request for comment on the suit, which accuses them of faulty electric wiring in the hot tub that caused the couple’s electrocution and 43-year-old Jorge Guillen’s death. The lawsuit also claims the resort managers failed to prevent and warn guests about the hot tub hazards and did not respond quickly enough to the emergency. The incident occurred when Zambrano, her husband Guillen, and other family members arrived at the Sonoran Sea Resort, a high-rise condo complex, on Tuesday for their vacation, the lawsuit said. Zambrano and Guillen went to the hot tub to watch the sunset over the sea.
They were unaware that an electric current was present in the hot tub water
They were unaware that an electric current was present in the hot tub water. “It’s absolutely terrifying,” said Tej Paranjpe, an attorney at the Houston-based firm PMR law, to The Associated Press. When Guillen dipped his foot into the hot tub, the current shocked him. He fell into a direct electric circuit and was quickly trapped underwater. Zambrano jumped in to rescue her husband, but was also electrocuted and pulled in, according to the lawsuit. Cellphone footage from the incident shows the beachfront pool deck descending into chaos as screaming guests rushed over to help the couple, only to realize the danger of the hot tub water. The video appears to show someone attempting chest compressions on a person lying on the ground.
While a guest managed to pull Zambrano out of the water, attempts to retrieve Guillen with poles and various metal tools resulted in more people receiving electric shocks, the lawsuit states. “There was not a single staff member that did anything while Jorge was getting continuously shocked again and again underwater,” Paranjpe said. Ten minutes passed, Zambrano’s lawyers said, before resort workers responded to vacationers’ cries for help. The manager eventually retrieved Guillen from the bottom of the hot tub, but it was too late.
Zambrano was flown by helicopter to Phoenix, Arizona, and was discharged from the hospital on Friday
Zambrano was flown by helicopter to Phoenix, Arizona, and was discharged from the hospital on Friday. Mexican prosecutors in Sonora state reported that investigators were examining “the origin of the electrical failure” and would conduct field visits soon. Jim Ringquist, sales director for Sonoran Resorts Inc., said in a statement last week, “We are all terribly devastated by the tragedy that occurred at the Sonoran Sea Resort recently.” He also mentioned that the company’s CEO, Fernando Anaya, unexpectedly died of a heart attack on Wednesday, “adding another unfortunate tragedy to the already sad situation.”
A GoFundMe campaign launched for the couple had raised over $55,000 as of June 19. “Jorge had a heart of gold and was always there for family and friends,” the GoFundMe states. “The love they shared was one for the ages.” Hot tub electrocutions due to faulty underwater lighting and defective pumps are rare, but experts stress the need for vigilance to ensure equipment is properly maintained. Between 2002 and 2018, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission reported 47 incidents involving injury or death in hot tubs, pools, and spas in the country. Last June, a man died from an apparent electrocution while repairing a hot tub inside a fitness centre in Phoenix.
