(WJW) – A grieving family filed a civil lawsuit after a mother and son died from food poisoning while vacationing at a Dominican Republic resort.
April and Stephen Gougeon decided to take their family on an all-inclusive vacation to the Dominican Republic during the 2023 holiday season, according to Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP, the law firm representing the family.
The Canadian family planned a one-week stay at the Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham Resort. During the stay, according to attorneys, all four family members became sick while eating at the resort buffet.
“The family made repeated requests for medical assistance that went unanswered,” attorneys said in a Jan. 27 media release. “By the time the family arrived at the local hospital, it was too late.”
April and their son, Oliver, died in the hospital. A coroner’s report revealed that they died from “secondary causes related to food poisoning,” the release stated.
Stephen and another family member were treated at the hospital and released after a couple of days, attorneys said.
“Flying back home without April and Oliver sitting beside as they had done just days earlier is indescribable,” Stephen said in the release. “We planned this trip so our family could get some rest and relaxation. The thought that something like this could happen was the furthest thing from our minds.”
According to attorneys, the family booked the trip through Air Transat and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts “because they thought they would have high health and safety standards.”
The lawsuit alleges that several factors led to their deaths, including “poor sanitary conditions in food preparation areas, the absence of timely onsite medical evaluation and treatment, and the poor training of staff to identify and deal with emergencies.”
“We called asking for help,” Stephen continued in the release. “They did not take our call seriously, did not follow up on our request for medical help, and did not check in on us. When they finally responded after our further plea, there appeared to be confusion about how to handle the situation. These delays cost precious time that could have been used to treat our illness. And in the end, it cost my wife and my son their lives.”
Meghan Hull Jacquin, the personal injury lawyer at Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP who is representing the family, called the case shocking.
“The Gougeons are taking action against the companies whose negligence allowed this to happen, not only to get answers and realize a sense of justice for themselves, but to shine a light on these events, effect change in the failed processes and procedures and ideally protect other vacationers from having to experience anything similar,” she said.
The lawsuit was filed in the Toronto Superior Court.
Air Transat released a statement to People, refuting the allegations.
“At the time of these events, we supported the Gougeon family,” the statement said, in part. “In such cases, we act with diligence, prudence and compassion, making every effort to assist our clients. Moreover, we choose our suppliers with great care and the hotel operator has assured us of its full cooperation with the authorities in shedding light on these tragic deaths.”
Nexstar’s FOX 8 News reached out to Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and the on-site medical clinic, Clinica Canela, for statements on the lawsuit.
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