Two tourists from Colorado were bitten by a crocodile at Puerto Vallarta in Mexico after one went for a late-night swim and the other tried to save him, authorities say. A witness who heard the screams of 18-year-old Kiana Hummel as the Bay Area girl was being viciously attacked by a 12-foot crocodile at a Marriott resort in Mexico last week wrote a rather . And female. This experience has taught Hummel to be patient with those she'll be treating someday and pick up on nonverbal cues. Sarah Laney, a bystander from St. Louis, heard Hummel scream. Just so you all know, beaches in Mexico are federal property, this means no hotel, condominium, house or the like own the beach. If you played it, you would know she wasnt in the water swimming when a croc bit her. Westin Leipzig Accused Of Shocking Anti-Semitism, Ridiculous: This Marriott Hotel Charges Fee To Use Points (Update), Marriott Appoints Anthony Capuano As New CEO, Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners, She struck the crocodile until it released her right leg, She then tried to escape, but the crocodile struck again, biting her left ankle and forcing her underwater again (I cant even begin to imagine how terrifying this must have been, this is worse than any nightmare), Some bystanders heard Hummel scream, and ran to help; amazingly enough they managed to get the crocodile to let go of her, and they were able to bring her to safety (huge kudos to these brave people what a selfless act to help free someone from a crocodile), Crocodile attacks on the beach are rare, but this also isnt the first time something like this has happened; someone was similarly attacked in 2018 on the same beach, The frustration here stems from no real warning of the potential for crocodiles to be in the ocean; if Hummel really thought there could have been a crocodile in the ocean, she likely wouldnt have gone in. The sea is full of animals, some of them beging aggressive, poisonous or dangerous to humans. The criticism of Marriott seems to be (1) the sign and (2) time it took to get an ambulance. Most resorts do post signs about the crocks, but most people ignore them, perhaps thinking it is a joke (?). "biting her left angle" American crocodiles are common along the tropical west coast of Mexico, but attacks on humans very rare. I don't think the hotel has any control of wild life so I think when we do things like this there's only some personal responsibility of the risks. By all indications Hummel wasnt doing anything reckless and didnt in any way think she was at risk, or she wouldnt have gone into the ocean. A late night swim in the ocean in the dark is extremly careless, most sea animals are active by night. You want to blame Marriott for that!! The hotel doesn't own the ocean and unless they somehow forced her to do a night swim I don't see how they should he held liable for her getting attacked, this to me comes down to personal responsibility and common sense. Someone is attacked on your property and you put a Band-Aid on the wound. When you fly Delta to/from Japan is everything only in Japanese? "It didn't want to give up. I never thought so weird characters like you could be real. What the heck are you talking about? Just got back from PVR last night. ", "The safety and security of our guests and associates are our top priority, and we can confirm that appropriate signage, as well as night patrolling and red flags were and are properly in place," she said in a statement. Its not like there arent salt water crocs and anyway they can swim in any body of water. Presumably the hotel knew that this risk existed (even if these kinds of attacks are rare), and it seems like more should have done than just having a lit-up sign that no one would read in the dark. Fortunately Hummel survived and didnt lose any limbs. Who knows if the comments are accurate but some reviews on TripAdvisor provide information. "After about 30 seconds of re-evaluating the situation, we all decided we needed to start throwing things at it. It was my sister and her Gfriend and she was not in the water I have photos of where they where and NO signs where there. You know there is inherit risk of swimming in the ocean. Definitely not the hotel's fault. I could be wrong, but I believe Do we know if the hotel is managed by Marriott International? I laughed, thought it was to scare of boat thief. . pic.twitter.com/I0wlypqdmC. Copyright 2023 KGO-TV. A recent crocodile attack in Puerto Vallarta was in July 2021 when a river crocodile attacked an 18-year-old guest at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta, shortly before going on a nighttime swim. She wasn't traipsing through the everglades. It was the ABC network that announced that the victim was identified as Kiana Hummel, who reported that the attack took place at midnight while she was [] Crocodile scares group of tourists posing for photo. Our staff is trained in how to respond to safety matters appropriately. RELATED: Crocodile scares group of tourists posing for photo, "It was most definitely one of the craziest, scariest things I've ever experienced," Laney said. Mexican tort law is way less generous than American law, when it comes to compensating injured plaintiffs. I'm in the process of investigating at least one report from another witness that contradicts (apparently) the length of time the ambulance took. She got on the next flight from San Francisco to Puerto Vallarta. Going for a swim in PV during the middle of the night is just not on the common sense list anyway. "Obviously a big chunk (of skin) has been taken out. Hummel and Martinez hope by sharing this story it will serve as a warning to others. We were throwing anything we could find, but it wasn't anything big enough.". (Source:. In November 2019, a crocodile attacked local fisherman Amadeo Barrera Munoz, 60, biting his head and arm before he fought free. By all indications Hummel wasnt doing anything reckless and didnt in any way think she was at risk, or she wouldnt have gone into the ocean. As for (2), I find Marriotts reported hesitancy concerning, but did none of the bystanders have their phones? A California teenager, 18-year-old Kiana Hummel, was involved in an incident during a recent holiday. For the medical attention part, I'm giving the benefit of doubt here due to language barrier or Americans being afraid of having no insurance (yes our system is so f***ed you can go bankrupt). I've noticed two safety signs, all of which are written in multiple languages. How many people have found themselves walking along somewhere at night while on vacation when they would never do the same at home. She told Good Morning America she was sitting on the sand with her friend when the 3.5 metre croc pulled her into the water. We'd get her a foot out of water, and then it would pull her back in," Laney said. She said she and her friends ran to help. Personally I feel like Marriott has some responsibility here both for the lack of proper signage, and for how staff responded. She. February 23, 2023 Puerto Vallarta Articles, . A witness, Sarah Laney, 34, a high school teacher from St. Louis, was with friends when she heard Hummel's screams and rushed to the beach to find Hummel's friend desperately trying to pull her to safety. . Anyway, looking forward to staying here in October, but not going to tell the wife about this until were there. Extremely reckless to enter the ocean in the night, in an area close to a crocodile viewing spot. They say they only learned later that there is one small warning sign, but it's mostly in Spanish and not lit up at night. I have lived and worked in multiple countries for more than 41 years and visited quite a few countries just for fun and Puerto Vallarta is definitely high on my list. They said they were not given a verbal warning and they only learned of the warning sign after the attack. Its claimed that the hotel staff initially didnt want to call an ambulance. Instead she was sitting on sand with a friend hanging out. Jul 29, 2021, 5:00 AM. They also said that the previous night, around 4:30 AM, one of men in their party was chased to the beach stairs by a crocodile (it is a narrow beach). especially when you are on vacation. Which reminds me --- a friend who lives in Nuevo Vallarta told me in June that a crocodile was spotted lazing on the walking trail from north Nuevo to Bucerias while I was staying there and during the time I'd planned to walk that trail. Hotel: Are you ok without any medical attention? But in this scenario it's common sense 101 that you DON'T enter unfamiliar waters, alone and especially at at night. Everybody is so afraid of lawsuits that all risk is removed from life. Have something to tell us about this article? I dont have a lot of sympathy for people who make risky choices. Going for a swim in PV during the middle of the night is just not on the common sense list anyway. @Patti: exactly. One sign that can't be seen at night isn't appropriate especially when who has a reasonable expectation that an alligator isn't going to run out of the OCEAN and drag you in from the beach. It wasn't letting go," Laney said. This all depends on whether she can get her case into an American court, which will probably not be that difficult in that Marriott secured her business by advertising in the United States. Her and her mother cannot work to care for the wounds around the clock, and as we all know bills such as rent, car payments, food, out of pocket medical expenses will still be needed. (In Spanish because in panic you could do that when Spanish is your first language) We have a friend who use to love to take early morning walks on the beaches next to the Marina, but she stopped doing that because of the Crock danger even in the early morning hours. Every summer theres typically at least one attack on a human and its ALWAYS near the shore. And I didnt think I was getting out that second time. Swimming in any ocean at night is dangerous (as others pointed out) and blaming the hotel for a wild animal attack in the wild environment (the ocean) is just strange. Around 800 miles southeast along the pacific coast of Mexico, a crocodile attacked a 28-year-old British woman in June of last year, who was swimming in the Manialtepec lagoon outside of. I also wonder how dangerous it is to swim during day? "She managed to survive with no missing toes, no missing limbs, no broken bones, just massive muscle and tendon damage," said Martinez, a medical assistant at UCSF Medical Center. And my god, if you are going to be reckless, take out trip insurance. I hope she fully recovers but lets quit pointing fingers at everyone except the one who went swimming. Really? MARIN COUNTY, California -- What was supposed to be a relaxing getaway before starting college this fall turned into a real life nightmare for California 18-year-old Kiana Hummel, who was attacked by a 12-foot-long crocodile while vacationing in Mexico with a friend earlier this month. For example when i went to Isla De Mujeres we climbed up into a lighthouse to get a view of the island and some guys there encouraged us to climb some old rickety ladder up into the top. A California teenager, 18-year-old Kiana Hummel, was involved in an incident during a recent holiday. MEXICO CITY (AP) Two U.S. tourists were injured by a crocodile at Mexico's Puerto Vallarta resort . I don't. The author of this story is overly sympathetic to the girl. Most resorts do post signs about the crocks, but most people ignore them, perhaps thinking it is a joke (?). If the daftie didn't know that, then maybe they should have read more books. Most attacks occur near or in the water. The sign may have been mostly in spanish but i bet it had a picture of a crocodile that made it pretty clear. 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