CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) - After a woman died in a jet ski crash in the Agua Hedionda Lagoon in Carlsbad on Sunday, Stephen and Aimee Cochrane were confronted with a painful memory.
“I just cannot believe that this would have happened. It’s just wrong,” said Aimee.
Her indignation was amplified by the fact that she and her husband were involved in a crash in the same lagoon in July of 2016.
They had decided to rent a jet ski on their anniversary, something they had never done before.
“We wanted to do something different,” recalled Stephen.
But when they got to California Watersports at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon, they had second thoughts.
“It was wild. It was mayhem out there,” said Stephen, describing the busy activity on the water.
Despite their hesitations, they decided to go for it. But before they had even completed one lap around the buoys, they said they were t-boned by another rider.
“We both flew off the jet ski,” remembers Aimee.
Stephen said he momentarily blacked out. Aimee remembers swimming over to him and seeing him face down in the water.
He was eventually pulled onto a boat and taken into an ambulance. He said he ended up with three broken ribs and a fractured sternum.
Aimee suffered some cuts and bruises on her legs, but no broken bones.
Stephen said he had to take three weeks off of work and pay $40,000 in out of pocket medical expenses. He says he still has pain in his chest from the injury.
After the crash, they said they had no contact with the owners of the rental company. They said they were unaware if the company had made any changes to prevent future crashes.
10News spoke to an employee at California Waterspouts who said they would not be providing any statements. An email to the company’s manager also went unanswered.
Carlsbad Police say they are still investigating the fatal collision from Sunday.
