Brit on vaca dies after trying to drink all 21 cocktails on menu: family blames medical responders, not him

A British man on vacation in Jamaica attempted to drink all 21 cocktails on a bar's menu and ended up proving Darwin correct.

Timothy Southern, 53, of Staffordshire, was with family on vacation in May 2022 in Saint Ann, Jamaica. He met a pair of Canadian women at a bar who were trying to complete a 21-drink challenge in order to celebrate a birthday and prove how Canadians can be just as stupid as the British. [H/T ITV News]

Southern already had a head start and had been imbibing brandy and beer before taking up the challenge.

He joined the women and was able to down 12 cocktails before returning to his room at the Royal Decameron Club Caribbean, where he eventually succumbed to his bravado.

In spite of the fact that it was his decision to consume that measure of alcohol, the family blamed the medical treatment he received when they initially saw that he was ill.

"He was on his back choking. I put him in the recovery position and screamed for an ambulance," a family member said, according to an inquest reported by ITV. "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 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," the non-medical family member added.

The nurse reportedly told the family remember that Southern still did have a pulse, and the family member started "to lose it" over witnessing Southern's reported treatment, which probably didn't help the situation.

"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," the family member continued in their comment to the inquest, according to ITV News.

A pathologist in Jamaica's capital of Kingston ruled that Southern died from "acute gastroenteritis due to alcohol consumption." The inquest into Southern's toxicology report, however, could take up to three years before it makes it to the UK, according to ITV News.

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