Lauren Helwig, the daughter of an Intel executive, experienced an idyllic July weekend in Lake Tahoe that took a drastic turn for the worse. The trip, initially filled with wakeboarding and surfing in the scenic waters near California’s Carnelian Bay and Dollar Point, ended with her on life support after swallowing a mouthful of the lake’s strikingly blue water.

During this visit from July 19 to July 21, 2024, the then 22-year-old Helwig began suffering from excruciating abdominal pain. This led to an extended hospital stay and a troubling medical diagnosis. It’s only recently, through a government tort claim, that the details of Helwig’s harrowing experience have come to light, with the Daily Mail exclusively revealing her identity.

The tort claim, submitted on July 2, 2025, by Helwig and her mother, Vicki Helwig, outlines her diagnosis with Hemolytic-uremic syndrome, a severe condition linked to the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria, known for causing significant intestinal infections. Helwig, a recent graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, was left grappling with this life-threatening condition.

It was weeks into her hospitalization, amidst memory loss of the trip, that Lauren learned of a massive sewage leak, which she believes was the root cause of her illness. This incident, according to her claim, unfolded on the evening of July 18, 2024, when a subcontractor for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) accidentally pierced a 24-inch sewage pipe managed by the North Tahoe Public Utility District (NTPUD), as reported by the Lahontan Regional Water Board.

It wasn’t until weeks after being hospitalized and losing her memory of the trip that Lauren heard of a massive sewage leak that she believes was the reason she landed in the hospital bed, according to her tort claim.

The sewage dump occurred on the evening of July 18, 2024 after a California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) subcontractor punctured a 24-inch sewage pipe operated by the North Tahoe Public Utility District (NTPUD), according to the Lahontan Regional Water Board. 

The board, which is responsible for protecting water quality in the region, said waste then spilled across a parking lot and dumped into Lake Tahoe at Carnelian West Beach.  

The beach was then closed by authorities on July 19 and reopened on July 31 after bacteria levels returned to normal, per the North Tahoe Public Utility District.

Lauren Helwig, 24, claimed in a filing she nearly died after she swallowed sewage-infested water while surfing and wakeboarding in Lake Tahoe in July 2024 

While enjoying the bright blue waves, Lauren (pictured wakeboarding on July 21, 2024) swallowed the infested water, leading to her serious illness, the claim stated 

It is unclear exactly what time the water was blocked off, and exactly how the blockage was executed.

The first public alert sent out about the spillage was posted online at 2 pm on July 19. Advisory notices were posted along lakeshore access points, and property owners in the vicinity were also notified.

Prior to it closing, the lake was ‘open to boaters, skiers, surfers and swimmers,’ the tort said.

It is not clear if the Helwigs knew about the closure, and an image of Helwig wakeboarding on July 21, 2024, was included in the filing.

The family did not reply to the Daily Mail’s request for comment. 

To this day, Helwig, who lives in a $1 million home in El Dorado Hills, has not fully recovered and might never be herself again, the claim stated. 

‘Lauren’s recovery has been slow, and quite frankly, not guaranteed,’ it read. 

‘She was hospitalized for weeks. She almost died. She has not and will not fully recover. 

‘She has incurred over $2 million in medical treatment and will continue to incur future medical treatment.’

The document added that, ‘Fortunately, due to her being a college athlete, she is strong and a fighter and did survive’ – though, it said she is still in the ‘process of regaining her memory.’ 

Helwig’s athletic profile page says she was a midfielder for UC Santa Barbara’s women’s soccer team. 

Her serious health conditions have not just caused her ‘trauma, pain and suffering,’ but also led her mother to experience ‘negligent infliction of emotional distress,’ the document read.

The claim, which sought legal action against Placer County and other public agencies, said they ‘should warn and actively protect the general public from known hazards and risks.’

Lake Tahoe is known for its azure waters, but on July 18, 2024, 85,000 gallons of raw sewage seeped into it after a pipe was punctured

Lauren’s mother, Vicki Helwig, an executive at Intel, claimed she experienced ‘negligent infliction of emotional distress’ after her daughter fell extremely ill

To this day, Lauren (right-middle) is still recovering and might never be how she was before she stepped foot in the lake that summer

The Sacramento native allegedly suffered a slew of health complications, including renal failure, after contracting E coli from the sewage-infested water.

E coli, also known as Escherichia coli, is a bacteria that lives in the intestines of healthy people and animals. 

It can cause a range of upsetting and potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal issues, including watery and sometimes bloody diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, low fever and fatigue. 

In some instances, it can destroy blood vessels in the kidneys, leading to kidney failure.

Soon after the tort claim was sent to Place County officials, the board of supervisors rejected it during a meeting on August 5, 2025, Chris Gray-Garcia, Placer County public information manager told the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, a settlement was reached in regard to the sewage leak between the responsible entities, without an admission of liability or wrongdoing. The Helwigs were not involved in that settlement.

The dangerous leak occurred near California’s Carnelian Bay and Dollar Point. Waste spilled across a parking lot and dumped into Lake Tahoe at Carnelian West Beach, the Lahontan Water Board said 

The Helwigs live in a $1 million home in El Dorado Hills, California 

Lauren (left) was a midfielder for UC Santa Barbara’s women’s soccer team

In August of this year, the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board approved a $850,000 civil fine to be paid to the public utility district and Caltrans.

Of that amount, $5,000 will be paid to the State Water Pollution Cleanup and Abatement Account, the Lahontan Regional Water Board said in a statement. 

The remaining $845,000 ‘will be permanently suspended upon completion of the Secline Beach Supplemental Environmental Project.’ 

That project includes the construction of restrooms, formal picnic areas and more features at Secline Beach, which is located right by North Tahoe Beach. 

The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing or liability, according to legal documents reviewed by the Daily Mail. 

When contacted by the Daily Mail, a spokesperson with the North Tahoe Public Utility District said the agency ‘does not comment on potential or pending claims against the District.’ 

The Daily Mail also contacted the Helwigs legal team for comment, but has not heard back.