Mum and son, 8, die of food poisoning within a day of family arriving at luxury Dominican Republic resort

Stephen Gougeon sued the edifice successful the Dominican Republic aft his wife, April Gougeon, 41, and his son, Oliver Gougeon, 8, died aft arriving astatine the destination

A heartbroken dada is suing a Dominican Republic resort for £5.5 cardinal aft his woman and 8 twelvemonth aged lad died abruptly from food poisoning conscionable a time into their holiday. Stephen Gougeon, 38, launched the suit connected January 27 pursuing the tragic deaths of woman April, 41, and lad Oliver, eight, astatine the Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham Resort successful December 2023.

"Flying backmost location without April and Oliver sitting beside arsenic they had done conscionable days earlier is indescribable," Mr Gougeon said successful a statement. "We planned this travel truthful our family could get immoderate remainder and relaxation. The thought that thing similar this could hap was the furthest happening from our minds."

The family's lawyer said the Gougeons had eaten astatine the resort's buffet earlier falling sick and visiting the on-site clinic, wherever their condition rapidly deteriorated.

READ MORE: Brit dada dies of salmonella connected household vacation astatine 4-star edifice aft eating 'lukewarm' carbonara

Air Transat, which has been named arsenic a suspect alongside Wyndham Hotels, said it was "deeply saddened" by the deaths but denied immoderate wrongdoing. A spokesperson told People Magazine: "In specified cases, we enactment with diligence, prudence, and compassion, making each effort to assistance our clients. Moreover, we take our suppliers with large attraction and the edifice relation has assured america of its afloat practice with the authorities successful shedding airy connected these tragic deaths."

According to a coroner's report, April and Oliver Gougeon died owed to secondary causes related to nutrient poisoning, reports the Express US.

April, a lawyer, was described successful her obituary arsenic a devoted parent who "was the archetypal 1 to assistance erstwhile others were successful clip of need." Oliver's obituary highlighted his "easy-going property recovered him with galore friends" and his emotion for drafting and sketching.

In a lawsuit, Stephen Gougeon alleged unsanitary conditions successful the nutrient mentation areas, deficiency of timely aesculapian treatment, and unit being untrained to woody with emergencies astatine the resort.

He claimed that the unit did not instrumentality their telephone for assistance earnestly nor did they cheque successful connected them and petition aesculapian help. "When they yet responded aft our further plea, determination appeared to beryllium disorder astir however to grip the situation. These delays outgo precious clip that could person been utilized to dainty our illness. And successful the end, it outgo my woman and my lad their lives," Gougeon said.

Meghan Hull Jacquin, the lawyer representing the Gougeons, stated that the household "was failed connected truthful galore levels." She added: "The Gougeons are taking enactment against the companies whose negligence allowed this to happen, not lone to get answers and realise a consciousness of justness for themselves but to radiance airy connected these events, effect alteration successful the failed processes and procedures and ideally support different vacationers from having to acquisition thing similar."

Gougeon spoke emotionally astir his nonaccomplishment saying: "I don’t deliberation I’ll ever recover. I’ve mislaid my wife, who I loved truthful much, and my son, who was conscionable specified a beauteous idiosyncratic and who I was truthful looking guardant to seeing turn up," according to The New York Times.