Man died on Jamaican holiday after trying to drink all 21 cocktails on hotel bar menu
A Lichfield man's tragic death while on holiday in Jamaica was alcohol-related, a coroner has ruled.
Timothy Southern, aged 53, was at the Royal Decameron Club Caribbean resort in Runaway Bay, in St Ann, when he met two Canadian women who had embarked on a drinking challenge, ITV reported.
The two women had decided to try and drink all 21 cocktails on the pool bar menu before midnight to celebrate one of the women's birthdays.
Mr Southern joined the two women in the effort and managed to drink 12 cocktails of 21 before retiring to his hotel room to sleep.
However, he was later discovered by family members "on his back, choking" and died in his room on May 21, 2022.
Mr Southern had been on holiday with his sister, children, and other relatives, and the inquest heard he had been drinking heavily throughout the day.
His family have criticised the response from emergency services and say a nurse who attended the scene was not properly trained.
A pathologist in Jamaica ruled the cause of death as 'acute gastritis with associated alcohol intoxication' after a post mortem examination.
However, the inquest at Stafford Coroners Court heard that toxicology reports can take three years to come back from Jamaica.
Staffordshire area assistant coroner Emma Serrano ruled the death was alcohol-related.
