Transcript for US woman injured parasailing in Mexico
And we are back now with that vacation nightmare. This woman parasailing in Mexico when her tether broke sending her flying. She is now recovering in a San Diego hospital. ABC’s kayna Whitworth is there with the latest. Good morning, kayna. Reporter: Cecilia, good morning. Katie Malone spent more than weeks in a Mexican hospital and this morning she is back home. Doctors say that her head trauma was so severe her life depends on her getting the treatment she needs right here at U.C. Medical center San Diego. Here we go, Katie. Reporter: It started out as a parasailing trip to celebrate her birthday but turned into a fight for her life as the tether that connected her to the boat broke. Sending her flying uncontrollably through the air in the skies above Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, for a terrifying 45 minutes. The rogue parasail at times going horizontal bobbing back and forth. Malone eventually crash landing at an airport. Malone suffering a collapsed lung, broken ribs, fractured skull and broken pelvis along with an enlarged pituitary gland. She remembers after the line broke she was spinning up and down and saying she was praying to god to make things go safely. She said she then passed out after probably like maybe 15 minutes of being in the air altogether then she woke up at the hospital. Thank you for all the prayers and support. Reporter: Malone speaking from her hospital bed Saturday in this video posted by her brother to Facebook. She was airlifted Tuesday to a hospital in San Diego. Still she faces a long road to recovery. She’s doing good. Her spirits are up. We’re just happy she’s back over here to get, you know, the proper treatment. Reporter: International parasailing is largely unregulated and each year an estimated 3 million to 5 million people in the U.S. Alone participate in the sport. Oh, no. Reporter: But crashes do happen like this one from 2013 also caught on tape of another parasail incident in Panama beach, Florida. Over the past 30 years 429 people have been seriously injured parasailing in the U.S. More than 70 have died. Go on social media, read the reviews and read the customer reviews. The customers are going to tell you what kind of experience they had in the past with those operations. Don’t be afraid to ask, experience of the captain and crew and do they have insurance. Reporter: We reached out to the parasailing company for comment but have not heard back. The council says don’t go if the equipment looks old and weathered, especially the tow rope and make sure you choose a company that operates from an established location not a beachfront and keep an eye on the weather yourself. Cecilia. All important tips. Thank you. I hope that woman makes a full recovery. Coming up, the battle over
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