A shocking incident during a birthday celebration in Mexico has left a Los Angeles makeup artist in critical condition and fighting for her recovery. Nina Bakhshizadeh, just 29 years old, experienced a terrifying fall that has drastically altered her life.
The Accident
The day took a severe turn when Bakhshizadeh and her boyfriend were enjoying an ATV ride on a guided tour. What seemed to be a joyful outing turned into a nightmare when their vehicle hit a wire on a wooden bridge, causing them to flip. “His tire got stuck to the wire of the bridge… and then we flipped, the car flipped. My boyfriend got stuck in the wire. But I fell down off the bridge,” Bakhshizadeh recounted in a Zoom interview from her hospital bed. The impact was brutal, landing her 22 feet below.
Describing her fall, she expressed, “I was awake the whole time… It was like the longest and the shortest fall of my life.” After the fall, she was left unable to walk and had to be transported to the hospital in the back of a truck, as no ambulance was available. Medical professionals later performed emergency back surgery, revealing the extent of her injuries: a broken neck and back.
The Road to Recovery
Now recovering in Cancún, Bakhshizadeh is grateful for the chance to walk again. “I’m very, very, very lucky to be able to walk again, hopefully soon, because… I was about to be paralyzed,” she said, reflecting on her ordeal.
However, the journey to recovery is complicated. Without travel insurance, her family has faced the daunting task of covering her medical expenses, which have exceeded $50,000. In response, a crowdfunding campaign has been initiated to assist with her recovery costs and to facilitate her return home to Los Angeles.
Through this traumatic experience, Bakhshizadeh has learned to cherish life and the people around her. She emphasizes the importance of health, saying, “Appreciate your health. Hug your loved ones, and if you can walk, go take a walk. Take some air, enjoy life. It’s shorter than what you think.” She hopes to return home in about two weeks, once her condition stabilizes enough for her to sit upright.
As a word of caution for fellow travelers, she stresses the need for travel insurance, advising, “You never know what may happen.” While her accident was unplanned, her resilience and spirit remain unbroken as she navigates the path to recovery.
