Timothy Southern, Staffordshire, UK man dies trying to drink all 21 cocktails on pool bar menu at Jamaica resort during British tourist’s travels abroad.
What could possibly go wrong…? A UK man on vacation with his family in Jamaica died after attempting to drink all 21 cocktails featured at a pool bar’s menu as part of a drinking challenge an inquest heard.
Timothy Southern had finished 12 of the menu’s various cocktails when he returned to his hotel room at the Royal Decameron Club Caribbean in Saint Ann, where he later died, ITV News reported.
A pathologist in Kingston said the 53-year-old Staffordshire man’s cause of death was ‘acute gastroenteritis due to alcohol consumption.’
Staffordshire-area coroner Emma Serrano ruled the tourist’s death was alcohol-related, StaffordshireLive reported. .
What could possibly go wrong on a fun holiday?
An initial investigation into Southern’s death found that he had been drinking brandy and beer throughout the morning during the May 2022 vacation.
At some point during the day, Southern met two Canadian women celebrating a birthday.
Yes kids, an excuse to get even more loaded.
The women told him they were trying to complete the 21-cocktail challenge before midnight as part of their festivities.
Southern accepted their invitation.
It was not immediately clear how quickly Southern consumed the 12 cocktails that led to the man’s eventual demise.
His family members — who were on the trip with him — said they tried in vain to help him.
Another day in paradise?
Had they been on the substance abuse bandwagon before? Or was it the jollies of being on a tourist binge that set the man off?
‘He was on his back choking. I put him in the recovery position and screamed for an ambulance. He was making a gurgling sound. As soon as he was in the recovery position, he vomited. I was shouting his name with no response,’ one of his family members recalled during the inquest.
The family has since expressed outrage and dissatisfaction with the emergency crews who tried to save him in his hotel, claiming they were unprepared to effectively take care of him.
‘When the nurse arrived, I said had an ambulance been called and she said ‘no.’ I thought she would take over. But that was not the case. I noticed he was starting to lose temperature. I checked his pulse and couldn’t find it,’ the relative said.
‘She said he had a pulse. I was starting to lose it. I got a full look at his face and I thought he had passed away.’
Biggest character
The relative claimed that the nurse was not adequately trained in providing life-saving measures.
‘I said, ‘Don’t just sit there looking at him, start CPR.’ She only gave him chest compressions. Maybe if she had known what she was doing, maybe he would still be here.’
Maybe if Southern knew what he was doing, maybe if he’d exhibited some self restrain – knew where his limits were — he would still be alive?
Added the grieving relative: ‘The service and treatment he received was disgusting.’
A GoFundMe page has been started by Mr Southern’s family to help with costs for returning his body to the UK. At the time of writing it had reached more than £9,500 ($12,100 USD) of a £15,000 target.
A statement on the site read: ‘We know dad was loved by so many with friends all over the world, the biggest character most would ever come across.
‘We’re hoping by doing this we could try to raise as much money as we can to get him home so that we, as a family, get to say our goodbyes.
‘Anything that is left over from the funds we raise will go to the MIND charity.’
The MIND Charity provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem through campaigns to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
