A British man holidaying in Jamaica died after he tried drinking all 21 cocktails on the hotel bar’s menu.
As reported by The Mirror, 53-year-old Timothy Southern was holidaying with his family in May 2022 when he met two Canadian women who were trying to complete the 21-cocktail challenge to mark one of their birthdays.
He finished 12 cocktails before heading back to his room at the Royal Decameron Club Caribbean in Saint Ann, where he later died.
Initial investigations into Southern’s death found he had been drinking brandy and beer in the hours before he attempted the 21-cocktail challenge.
At an inquest into his death, his family said they informed hotel staff once they realised he was seriously ill.
“He was on his back choking. I put him in the recovery position and screamed for an ambulance,” a family member said, per ITV News.
“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.”
They then slammed the care he received from the hotel’s medical staff as “disgusting”.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“The service and treatment he received was disgusting.”
A coroner in the UK, Emma Serrano, ruled Timothy Southern’s death was alcohol-related, ITV News reported.
The outlet also reported that a pathologist in Jamaica determined Southern’s cause of death was “acute gastroenteritis due to alcohol consumption”.
However, the inquest heard it could take up to three years to receive toxicology reports from Jamaica.
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