Netflix’s The Accident Ending, Explained

Over the years, Netflix has built a reputation for dramatic and gripping drama series, and The Accident (El Accidente) is no exception. The Mexican drama premiered on August 21st, 2024, and audiences have since speculated about the potential real-life inspirations for the show’s tragic ending. The intense storyline, thought-provoking themes, and grief topics have captivated viewers by The Accident’s realism.

The show depicts the tragic event of a bouncy house being blown away by winds at a young boy’s birthday party in Santa Ana, which takes the lives of three children. Rodrigo, the birthday boy, is one of the children who was killed. The parents, Daniela, and Emiliano, are forced to reckon with their new reality as the entire town tries to trace whose fault the accident was. The show unravels this mystery coupled with romance, family drama, legal affairs, and incarceration as viewers are left to witness the characters experience grief and conflict.

The Accident’s Complex Ending

The series finale wraps up the narratives of the main characters, including Daniela, Emiliano, two other parents named Lupita and Charro whose son Gabriel passed away, and Brenda, who lost her son Mateo during the accident. According to Netflix’s official companion site Tudum, the complex and layered ending of the show truly reflects the aftermath of a worst-case scenario. Emiliano and Daniella split after Emiliano’s presumed association with the tragedy, yet they slightly reconcile at the end. Brenda, who had cheated on her husband Javier, manage to get back together as well in the end.

However, the story gets much darker, including the death of David, an associate of Emiliano. Mancho, the housekeeper, is accused of starting the incident and is eventually poisoned by Lupita after a series of murder attempts from her and Charro. However, Lupita frames Charro for this killing and he ends up in prison. But who actually ends up being at fault for the bouncy house accident? The article on Tudum explains the answer:

While the wind is surely more guilty than any one person,
ultimately it’s Emiliano who’s to blame. He took a business call instead of fully securing the bouncy house to the ground
— and that’s what led to it blowing away when the high winds came through. After the case went to trial,
Emiliano was sentenced to two years in prison
for the involuntary manslaughter of Rodrigo, Gabriel, and Mateo, without the possibility of bail.

After watching this realistic yet dark sequence of events unfold throughout the season, audiences speculated that The Accident might be based on a true story, especially the ending, hoping that their urgent questions would be heard.

Is The Accident Based on a True Story?

The Accident is not based on a true story, nor is it based on a book or any other kind of media. However, certain events taking place within the series can surely be drawn from aspects of our real life. For example, bouncy house incidents are part of reality, not an event made up to create the action in this show. The American Meteorological Society says, “We have documented 132 cases of wind-related bounce house incidents worldwide for the years 2000–21 that caused at least 479 injuries and at least 28 deaths.”

Several other aspects of the show can be linked to aspects of reality as well. The funerals, the depictions of the jail system, and even the small and intimate moments when the grieving families share moments of support together. As the characters journey through solving the causes of the accident, it is evident that their emotions and experiences resonate with audiences across the globe. In terms of a future for the show, the creator Leonardo Padron has hinted at a second season following the show’s international success. So, although it is not based on a true story, it looks like there’s more to be unraveled and revealed in The Accident’s future.