Newlywed Couple Collide While Zip-Lining, Leaving Husband Dead, Wife Injured

A fun vacation by a newlywed Israeli couple in Roatan, one of Honduras’ Bay Islands, ended in tragedy after an unfortunate zip-line accident. As the wife hovered halfway on her line, her husband collided with her, hitting her from behind. The incident left the husband dead and the wife seriously injured, according to the Washington Post. The Israeli Foreign Ministry refused to identify the couple, but local Honduran news revealed the couple to be 24-year-old Egael Tishman and 27-year-old Shif Fanken. The couple had been married for less than a month.

The couple was spending their honeymoon on Royal Caribbean Cruise. One of the stops along the way was Roatan. The Cruise advertised the zip-lining service as an “Extreme Caribe Zip Line Tour,” which allows people to zip across 1,950 feet of cable that’s 300 feet off the ground.

According to the Miami Herald, spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said, “Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guests’ family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with the couple, and we will continue to do our very best to assist them.”

Ambulances arrived at the scene shortly after the collision occurred. At that time, the couple was both still alive, though suffering serious injuries. Upon examination, it was found that they had numerous broken ribs and several other injuries. According to the commander of the Roatan Fire Department, Wilmer Guerrero, Tishman said he was having trouble breathing.

“The young man complained that he could not breathe. He was evaluated in the ambulance and was given oxygen,” Guerrero said. Hours later, Tishman passed away. Though his cause of death has not fully been confirmed, local radio outlets confirm that it “may have been a brain hemorrhage.”

After being transported to the United States, Fanken underwent surgery. She is currently in stable condition. The Israeli embassy has made arrangements to send Tishman’s body back to Israel to be buried.

Meanwhile, Roatan police have opened an investigation to determine what may have caused the accident.

This is not the only incident of serious injury or death while zip-lining in Roatan. Three years ago, a woman was injured while zip-lining, and 10 years ago a woman died after a cable snapped, causing her to fall 65 feet. These injuries come after an increase in popularity for zip-lining. Prior to 2012, there were about 10 zip-lines in the United States. As of 2012, there are over 200. This number does not include the “thousands of amateur zip lines.”

There has been no further update on Fanken’s condition.