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Indian-origin Californian undergoes spine surgery after Mexico fall
She said her recovery remains ongoing and cited untreated fractures in her neck, continuing medical expenses, physical therapy, follow-up appointments and medication costs.
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Staff Reporter - Sat, 30, May 2026
- 01:58 EDT
- 68
Nina Bakhshi / Facebook
Nina Bakhshi, an Indian-origin Californian makeup artist, is recovering from multiple fractures after falling from a bridge during a guided all-terrain vehicle (ATV) tour at Cenote La Noria in Mexico earlier this year, according to a fundraiser she posted on May 13.
Bakhshi said the accident occurred during a birthday trip and left her with severe injuries that required emergency medical treatment. In the fundraiser, she alleged that park authorities failed to adequately respond after the incident.
According to Bakhshi, there was no arrangement to retrieve her from the location where she fell. She said she had to be carried for nearly 30 minutes before reaching an area where an ambulance was expected to arrive. The ambulance never came, she said, and she was eventually transported by truck to a hospital, arriving about an hour later.
Bakhshi said she did not have travel insurance and that the park's local insurance policy did not cover the emergency surgery she required.
"My friends and family came together immediately to save my life, maxing out credit cards, lending money, and helping cover the cost of my surgery and hospitalization which took a lot longer since it was a weekend," she said.
"I underwent emergency spine surgery 28 hours after the accident. It was the most painful and terrifying experience of my life, but thankfully the doctors were able to save my lower back, and I can move my legs now."
She added that she remained in Mexico when she launched the fundraiser.
Bakhshi said she hopes to regain normal mobility through continued treatment and rehabilitation.
"With proper treatment, physical therapy, and aftercare, I hope to walk normally again," she said.
"I am incredibly grateful to be alive and forever thankful to every person who helped me survive during those terrifying moments."
She said her recovery remains ongoing and cited untreated fractures in her neck, continuing medical expenses, physical therapy, follow-up appointments and medication costs.
"At this time, I am unable to walk normally or return to work," she said while seeking donations through the fundraiser.
She ended the appeal with a brief message: "Wish me happy birthday."
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Bakhshi described the moments before the fall, saying she was attempting to record the scenery from the bridge.
"Have you ever had a dream that you're falling and you're asleep and you like wake up and you fall? That was exactly what happened," she told the Daily Mail.
"I was falling and it was the longest and the shortest fall of my life. I was feeling every second of that fall and then I hit the ground with my lower back."
Bakhshi told the publication that a vertebra in her neck remained broken on both sides at the time of the interview.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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