A British couple tragically died just moments apart while on a dream Caribbean holiday, an inquest has revealed.
David and Rosalind Forster, both 76, were walking back to their hotel along Paradise Beach on the island of Carriacou after a meal on March 9 when the double tragedy occurred.
Bournemouth Coroner’s Court heard that David suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the beach. Rosalind, overwhelmed by an acute shock reaction to the traumatic event, also collapsed shortly afterward, reports the Mirror.
Their daughter, Julie, and son-in-law, Dr. David Beckett, had stayed behind at the restaurant to settle the bill. They arrived at the scene two to three minutes later to find passersby administering CPR to both David and Rosalind. According to the inquest, David, who had a history of heart problems and a pacemaker, fell into shallow seawater during his cardiac arrest.
Despite CPR efforts lasting around 30 minutes, David was pronounced dead at the scene. Rosalind was taken to a local hospital but passed away later that same day. A post-mortem examination determined that David died from drowning caused by cardiac arrest, while Rosalind’s death resulted from the aspiration of stomach contents into her airways, triggered by her acute shock reaction.
In a statement read at the inquest, Dr. Beckett, a consultant radiologist, described the sequence of events: “We proceeded to pay for lunch while they walked towards the beach and back to the accommodation. We followed them onto the beach two or three minutes later, and David was on his back receiving CPR while Rosalind was being held by another person, unconscious.
“They carried on CPR for 30 minutes, but there were no signs of life. David was pronounced dead at the scene, and Rosalind was taken to the hospital, where she later died.”
Dorset senior coroner Brendan Allen summarised the tragedy: “David Forster collapsed while walking on a beach with his wife. He fell into the water, and in his unresponsive state, ingested seawater. Despite attempts to resuscitate him, he died at the scene.
“Rosalind Forster witnessed her husband suddenly collapse and became unresponsive herself due to aspiration of stomach contents caused by an acute shock reaction. Efforts were made to resuscitate her at the scene, and she was transferred to hospital but died later that day.
“I offer my condolences to family and friends for such a sudden and tragic loss of life.”
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