British couple on holiday in the Caribbean die within minutes of each other while walking along beach in tragic scenes
A British couple has tragically died within minutes of each other after collapsing on a Caribbean beach during their holiday.
David and Rosalind Forster, both aged 76, were walking back to their hotel along Paradise Beach on the island of Carriacou, Grenada, when the devastating events unfolded on March 9.
Details of their deaths were revealed at Bournemouth Coroner’s Court on Tuesday, where it emerged that David suffered a cardiac arrest and drowned, while his wife died from shock after witnessing her husband’s collapse.
David, who had previously experienced heart problems and had a pacemaker fitted, collapsed and fell into shallow sea water.
Rosalind witnessed her husband’s sudden collapse and suffered an acute shock reaction, causing her to fall unconscious moments later.
A post-mortem examination revealed David’s cause of death was drowning brought on by a cardiac arrest.
His wife’s death was attributed to the aspiration of stomach contents into her airways, resulting from her acute shock reaction to witnessing the traumatic event.
The couple’s daughter Julie and son-in-law Dr David Beckett, who had remained at a nearby restaurant to settle the bill, discovered the tragic scene just minutes later.
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In a statement read at the inquest, Dr Beckett, a consultant radiologist, said: “We proceeded to pay for lunch while they walked towards beach and back to accommodation.
“We followed them on to the beach two or three minutes later and David was on his back receiving CPR while Rosalind was being held by another person while unconscious.”
Passersby had already begun administering CPR to David which continued for approximately 30 minutes.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, while Rosalind was rushed to a local hospital, where she later died that day.
Dorset senior coroner Brendan Allen provided his official findings at the inquest.
He stated: “David Forster collapsed while walking on a beach with his wife. He fell into the water and in his unresponsive state ingested sea water. Despite attempts to resuscitate him he died at the scene.
“Rosalind Forster witnessed her husband suddenly collapse and became unresponsive herself through aspiration of stomach contents due to an acute shock reaction.”
The coroner concluded by offering his condolences to the family and friends “for such a sudden and tragic loss of life.”