Jennifer Karren’s friends and co-workers are mourning her death after the Calgary woman was killed on vacation in Mexico, in a freak collision with a whale.
Karren was on a snorkelling excursion in Cabo San Lucas with her husband Trevor and several other tourists when the accident happened Wednesday morning.
They were travelling on an open, seven-metre-long inflatable boat operated by Cabo Adventures, when the captain noticed the hump of a whale come out of the water.
According to a director from the tour company, the captain steered away, but as the whale breached the water, its tail hit three passengers. Karren was knocked unconscious and thrown into the water.
A passenger and staff member dove in to pull her out. A female passenger -- a nurse -- started to perform CPR while her husband looked on. Karren was taken to hospital, where she died.
CTV Calgary spoke with a childhood friend of Karren's who said the couple loved to travel and had recently posted on social media how excited they were about their Cabo trip.
She says Jennifer had an "open and pure heart" and was "just a kind individual."
Karren had been an employee at the Calgary offices of WorleyParsons, an engineering and construction consulting services company.
The company released a statement that said: "Jen will hold a special place in the hearts of many, including her teammates of the WorleyParsons Freedom Riders, with whom she participated in the Ride to Conquer Cancer for the last two years."
The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs released a statement Thursday saying consular officials in Cabo San Lucas are providing assistance to the family "in this difficult time." The statement added their thoughts were with Karren's family and friends.
Cabo Adventures released a statement offering its condolences as well, but offered no other details into the incident.
The company's director told CTV News that they have never had any collisions with whales in the past, nor have any of their passengers ever been injured.
A spokesperson with the Baja California Sur state prosecutors' office said it appeared that Karren had died from head trauma. He said it was the first death in this type of accident he knew of.
Another woman who was also injured in the accident has been transported to the U.S. for further care. A third injured passenger was released from hospital Thursday.
With a report from CTV Calgary's Rahim Ladhani
