Cass Aragón had just reached the Pulhapanzak waterfalls in Peña Blanca, northern Honduras, to camp with friends when her dog Chabelo jumped into the water for a swim and was immediately swept away by the current. The travel influencer, who has 400,000 TikTok fans and 187,000 Instagram followers, leapt in to save him but was swept away by the force of the river.
Chabelo, who she rescued as an abandoned pup, scrambled to safety while the current tossed Cass about like "a rag doll". She told creatorzine.com: "Everything happened so fast. I felt like I was in a washing machine, like a ping-pong ball. It dragged me a long way."
Swimsuit snagged on a rock
Luckily, her swimsuit snagged on a rock and stopped her just three metres short of the edge of the huge drop. Cass said she was saved from plunging over a 140ft waterfall.
The drama unfolded at the Pulhapanzak waterfalls in Peña Blanca, northern Honduras. Chabelo's frantic barking alerted a zip-line guide overhead who spotted the trapped influencer and raised the alarm at once.
Local men haul her to safety
Two local men forced a path through the thick undergrowth to haul her to safety. Cass, who comes from Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, recalled: "One of the men who helped me was wearing the Mexico national team shirt. When I saw him I thought 'this must be an angel'."
The travel influencer suffered three broken ribs, heavy blows to the head, and multiple cuts and bruises all over her body.
Treatment and recovery
Park staff rushed her straight to a local clinic for emergency care. She later said that Doctor Yonari Velázquez treated her wounds with great expertise and kindness. The severe injuries mean she must now return to Mexico to fully recover.
Cass, who was driving her pink Volkswagen camper van La Lupita towards Panama, insists she feels no bitterness about her near-death experience. She said: "This could have happened to me anywhere. I love the Hondurans and I love Honduras. They have treated me incredibly and in this accident they were the ones who saved my life."
Safety warning
She thanked the locals who pulled her from the river and the park team who rushed her to a doctor. Cass urged her followers to respect safety rules and warning signs in natural spots.
