Women collapse seconds after drink spiked at Cancun resort in Mexico
Two young US holidaymakers have recounted the terrifying moment they collapsed at the same time while on holiday at a Cancun resort in Mexico last Thursday.
Zara Hull and Kaylie Pitzer, both from Texas, swam up to the pool bar to get some water, and simultaneously blacked out just moments after taking a sip — it is the last thing Hull remembers before she woke up in hospital.
“Within seconds, at the same time, our heads hit the pool bar,” Hull told NBC.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Both women were taken back to their hotel rooms in wheelchairs, where Hull said she was “basically paralysed”.
Pitzer said when she woke up the following morning, experiencing nausea and difficulty moving, she learned that her friend had fallen unconscious, was experiencing seizures.
She had been taken to a nearby private hospital by ambulance and placed in the intensive care unit.
“Upon arriving at the hospital, there was a $US10,000 ($A15,000) deposit required for treatment to start,” a GoFundMe raising money to support Hull’s medical costs said.
“Over the next few hours, her seizures continued.”
Doctors are not sure what Hull and Pitzer ingested at the pool bar, but suspect synthetic fentanyl due to the rapid onset of debilitating effects.
Hull’s partner Jake Snider was at the pool bar when the incident occurred, and stayed by Hull’s side as she was intubated in the hospital.
He was the one who delivered the nightmare call to Hull’s parents, along with his own.
They organised a $US28,000 medical evacuation flight through the US Embassy. Medical costs had, at this point, already reached over $US65,000.
Hull and Snider landed in Dallas 48 hours after the incident, and Hull was placed on a ventilator as treatment continued.
“Today was filled with much more emotional stress and pain. Lots of tears and (Hull’s) wanting to know why this happened to her,” Snider’s mother Stephanie wrote on Facebook three days after the incident.
She confirmed that Hull is still in hospital waiting for clearance to go home, and noted that Pitzer “still doesn’t feel back to herself”.
“I have had literally hundreds of strangers reaching out to me telling me this same thing happened to them or a family member or friend —some of them did not make it home,” she said.
The family said that they will not be publicly naming the resort or Cancun hospital at this stage for privacy reasons.
- With NBC
Originally published on 7NEWS
