Cabo San Lucas city hall has replaced the head of its Municipal Civil Protection department following the death of an 18-year-old woman who fell from a carnival ride during the city’s annual Fiestas Tradicionales. The move comes as the state attorney general’s office opens a formal investigation into what happened.
Gabriela Rodríguez Tezoco died the night of October 20 after falling from a ride known as El Péndulo, a pendulum-style attraction installed near the Ferris wheel in the fairground area downtown. According to local reports, the accident happened around 8 p.m. Emergency crews treated her at the scene before rushing her by ambulance to Saint Luke’s hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
The fiestas mark Cabo San Lucas’s founding anniversary and typically draw large crowds downtown for several nights of concerts, food stalls and carnival rides — an event covered in past years when the Traditional Cabo Fiestas kicked off and when the city opened sign-ups for its Fiesta Queen pageant.
Muere joven tras caer de juego mecánico “El Péndulo” en la feria de Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.QEPD#Video 🎥👇🏽 https://t.co/5DmeqT8dpa
— JORGE BECERRIL JB/8 (@MrElDiablo8) October 22, 2026
What Officials Are Doing
Municipal Civil Protection suspended operation of El Péndulo immediately after the fall to review the private operator’s paperwork, the city confirmed. Mexican law requires fairground rides to carry permits and pass safety inspections before operating at public events, though enforcement in practice often falls to local civil protection offices working with event organizers.
Responsibility for determining what caused the fall now rests with the Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado (PGJE), the state attorney general’s office that investigates possible criminal negligence in Baja California Sur. The municipal government said it will cooperate fully with investigators and has offered support to the family.
On October 21, the city announced a leadership change at Civil Protection, naming Diego Camacho Hale as officer in charge of the department effective immediately. City hall said the change was meant to guarantee “transparent development, free of any obstacle,” for the state investigation, and to ensure investigators have full access to departmental files. The outgoing director, Francisco Cota Márquez, had faced public calls for his resignation after the accident, though officials also acknowledged his prior work leading the department.
Public Reaction and Unanswered Questions
News of Rodríguez’s death spread quickly on social media, with former classmates from her high school, COBACH 10, posting tributes alongside pointed questions about ride safety at the fair. In one widely shared post, former classmates wrote that the public deserves to know what happened, what caused it, and whether human, mechanical or institutional failure played a role.
Officials have not yet said whether mechanical failure, operator error or inadequate restraints contributed to the fall. Investigators are expected to review maintenance records, operating permits and any prior complaints tied to the ride or its operator.
What It Means for Future Fairs
Los Cabos hosts several town fairs and holiday fiestas through the year, often featuring traveling carnival rides contracted from private operators. This case is likely to put added scrutiny on how those rides get permitted and inspected going forward, similar to the attention drawn by a recent downtown inspection that led to a business closure over permit issues.
For now, there’s no indication other rides at future events have been pulled or re-inspected. Anyone attending a town fair or fiesta with carnival attractions may want to look for posted safety certifications and check that harnesses and barriers are secured before boarding, especially on rides aimed at older kids and adults where supervision can be lighter than on children’s rides.
