What happened to Timothy Southern? Family slams hotel staff and nurse as British tourist dies on a Jamaican holiday

Timothy Southern, a 53-year-old from Litchfield, England, died last year after attempting to drink 21 cocktails from a pool bar menu whilst on a holiday at the Royal Decameron Club Caribbean in Jamaica.

A year after he died in his hotel room, in a recent inquest (a judicial inquiry into a death) family of Timothy Southern slammed the hotel staff and nurses’ response to the incident. The family stated that the nurse’s alleged inexperience contributed to Southern’s death.

In May 2022, Timothy Southern was reportedly on a holiday with his sister, children, and other relatives, when he met two Canadian women at the pool bar in Royal Decameron Club Caribbean, in Jamaica. The women were allegedly trying to complete the challenge where an individual was dared to drink 21 cocktails from the hotel pool bar menu.

Southern, who decided to join the women in the challenge, reportedly drank 12 cocktails before retiring to his room in the hotel. He later became sick and died in the room. A Jamaican pathologist declared the cause of death as 'acute gastroenteritis due to alcohol consumption, which was later confirmed by Staffordshire area coroner Emma Serrano who ruled the death as alcohol-related.

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Timothy Southern's family slams '"disgusting" treatment of hotel staff that allegedly contributed to his death

Timothy Southern (Image via GoFundMe)

A year after Timothy Southern was pronounced dead in his hotel room at Royal Decameron Club Caribbean in Jamaica, his family, at a recent inquest, blamed the hotel staff and nurse over their "disgusting" treatment after he was found unresponsive on the floor.

At the inquest, one of them said that Southern was already inebriated when he met the two women at the hotel pool bar and decided to join them in the seemingly dangerous competition that dares people to consume 21 cocktails from the menu. Southern, who was over-served at the bar, then retired to his room, where he was found by one of the family members choking.

"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.”

When the nurse finally arrived, the family member reportedly inquired if an ambulance had been called, to which the medical personnel allegedly responded in the negative. The nurse then supposedly stood idle as Timothy Southern’s condition began to deteriorate.

“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.”

However, the nurse allegedly maintained that he had a pulse and continued to do nothing until the family member directed her to perform CPR:

"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."

In the wake of Timothy Southern’s passing, the family launched a GoFundMe to raise money to transfer his remains from Jamaica to England. The fundraiser, which raised over $12,000 since being created last year, is still open for donations, with the amount inching towards $19,000.