Tragedy struck the Royal Caribbean Decameron Club in St Ann’s, Jamaica, as Timothy Southern, a 53-year-old British man, lost his life in a bizarre cocktail drinking challenge while vacationing with his family.
Southern, a resident of Staffordshire, UK, embarked on an onerous task to consume all 21 cocktails listed on a local bar’s menu. Reports indicate that Southern managed to ingest 12 different cocktails before returning to his hotel room where he subsequently died.
A Kingston pathologist attributed the cause of death to “acute gastroenteritis due to alcohol consumption,” which corroborates Coroner Emma Serrano’s finding that the death was alcohol-related.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Southern had been drinking brandy and beer throughout the day before joining two Canadian women in the 21-cocktail challenge to celebrate a birthday.
Family members present during the incident were unable to save Southern despite their earnest attempts. Eyewitnesses describe the heart-rending efforts of the family as Southern started showing symptoms of severe discomfort.
In the aftermath, Southern’s family leveled criticism at the emergency crews at the hotel for their apparent lack of preparedness to deal with the situation effectively. A family member detailed the arrival of a nurse who allegedly stated that an ambulance had not been dispatched. Their expectation for the nurse to take command of the situation was shattered as Southern’s condition worsened. They expressed disappointment at the apparent absence of appropriate life-saving training, suggesting that the outcome could have differed with more knowledgeable intervention. The family expressed their dissatisfaction with the service and treatment provided, terming it “disgusting.”