A couple from Lac-Saint-Jean and one of their nine-year-old sons were involved in a serious road accident in Mexico on Saturday.
Christine Tremblay and her partner have suffered serious injuries, but are not in critical condition, said Martin Tremblay, Christine’s brother, in a telephone interview on Monday.
A resident of Sherbrooke, Que., Martin Tremblay obtained news from a travel agent friend from the hospital in Mexico. He plans to visit the Riviera Maya on Wednesday. According to local media, the collision between the tourist van and another vehicle in the Playa del Carmen area left one dead and 15 injured.
The family from Alma, a small town in Lac-Saint-Jean, was traveling to Mexico for New Years and was due to return to Quebec on Tuesday, said Martin Tremblay.
The couple and the boy had gone on an excursion, while their other 17-year-old son had stayed at the hotel, said Martin Tremblay. The accident occurred on Saturday around 5 p.m. local time, when the two vehicles collided after an automobile tried to pass the van, local media said. The driver of the van reportedly lost control and went off the road.
Also according to local media, the two passengers in the car were slightly injured, and the van was returning to the Playa del Carmen area after an excursion to a Mayan site.
“My brother-in-law, who was in critical condition, is now out of danger. It is difficult in terms of prognosis, because he still has a collapsed lung, and his rib cage took a major blow. In terms of hemorrhages, I imagine that that is settled, there were also hemorrhages in his brain. I do not know if he is still in a coma,” said Martin Tremblay Monday afternoon.
His sister was seriously injured in the spine. She underwent surgery on the third vertical vertebra and specialists placed a metal plate on Sunday, he said.
“Today (Monday), she was due to have surgery to remove bone fragments from the spine,” said Martin Tremblay, indicating that his nephew Adam had a broken collarbone.
“I’m going to see what is going on for Adam, and then for my sister and my brother-in-law, because they cannot immediately send them home with injuries like that. So, we will deal with the situation over there. I want to be there for my sister,” he said.
A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said “our thoughts are with the Canadians involved in a bus accident in Mexico.”
“Consulate officials are in touch with affected Canadians and their families and are providing assistance. They are also in contact with local authorities to gather additional information,” Natasha Nystrom said by email on Monday.
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