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It has been reported that over the weekend, a fatal jet ski accident occurred in the bay of Los Cabos, resulting in the injury of one man and the death of a foreign woman.
The crash occurred on El Médano beach, which is one of the busiest in Los Cabos, where two jet skis crashed into each other, leading to the fatal injuries. Although unconfirmed as authorities were not available for comment, it is assumed the crash was due to speeding.
First reports form the scene indicated that a driver of the first jet ski collided with the second, which was being driven by a young tourist who was under 20 years old. Aside from speeding, it was unofficially suggested that lack of driving experience may have led to the crash.
Much of the information known so far has been provided by visitors to the area who witnessed the crash and first response maritime service providers. They reported that the man who was injured was initially treated on the beach by paramedics before being transported to hospital.
The Port Authority has said it has already launched investigations with the help of the vendor who rents the jet skis, who is a local tourist service provider in the area.
A local municipal police officer, José Ángel Agúndez Núñez, who responded to the accident said, “We learned of a jet ski accident, reportedly involving a young girl of North American nationality who had had an accident on the water and we immediately asked for support from local paramedics in the area”.
The young woman was treated on the beach and immediately taken to a nearby private hospital, however she unfortunately later died from her injuries.
Núñez went on to say, “She was immediately given medical attention, while we guarded the nearby area. We later found out that she had sadly died in hospital”. Meanwhile, it is reported that the other driver who supposedly caused the accident, was also taken to a nearby hospital and is in a critical condition.
Currently however, the official reason for the accident has not been disclosed, and the names of the two foreigners involved have not been released, along with the name of the company who rented the jet skis. Although local police said that the woman was of US origin, this has not been confirmed by authorities.
This is not the first time a crash of this nature has occurred in Los Cabos, as in 2020 a person riding a jet ski came onto the beach at high speed, running over a woman and hitting a street vendor. The woman later died while two people sustained serious injuries. This accident also occurred on the notoriously busy El Médano beach.
Currently local officials in Los Cabos have been doing research into ways to reduce traffic in the bay, as it is widely assumed that there should be no more than 3000 vehicles there at any one time to avoid accidents and overcrowding.
This year Los Cabos has unfortunately seen more than one fatal accident and injury occur, including the death of a scuba diver near La Paz and injuries to several tourists when a boat collided with a whale also in La Paz.
Despite this, Los Cabos is seen by 88% of tourists as a safe destination and water-based accidents are a rare occurrence. On the other hand, the region unfortunately still experiences the most crime in Mexico, particularly pickpocketing.
Los Cabos has received an unprecedented amount of tourists in the first half of the year, therefore local authorities are doing everything they can to prevent crime, including introducing surveillance, plus increased police presence and training which will hopefully drive crime rates down.