Mr Edwin Richard Flett · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 1st July 2015, I opened an inquest into the death of: Mr Edwin Richard Flett, who died on 21st March 2015 in hospital in Barbados; Case Ref: 0104515 (YS).

It was concluded on 8th December 2016 after waiting for long period for further evidence of the circumstances of the death from Barbados. 2nd September 2016. The court found that the medical cause of death was Drowning and the conclusion of the coroner was Accident.

Mr Flett was a competent and healthy swimmer, who was neither intoxicated nor medicated, and entered the sea at Accra (Rockley) Beach, Barbados, when the sea was moderately calm, after seeing no warning flags or signs. One report suggested that he entered by walking and then fell. His wife saw him swimming normally. Within 10 minutes his body was found further along the beach horizontal on the surface. He was dragged to the shore and prompt CPR ensued but could not save him. Autopsy found no medical reasons to account for his drowning. There were lifeguards patrolling. There were no flags or warning signs displayed, one lifeguard reported, as it was low tide and there was no reason to place them. Mr and Mrs Flett were unaware of any unusual or raised risks of swimming on this beach.

1. There is evidence of a particularly high risk of death on this beach. There were seven deaths acknowledged by the Minister of Tourism between 2000 and 2015. Mr David Flett, son, has researched the deaths using the internet and press reports. His evidence was of finding 3 in 2009, 2 in 2014 (one may be at another beach) and 3 in 2015. In this period from 2009 there were reported to be 23 drownings over the whole island. If this data is correct it would appear that 30% of the nation’s drownings occur on this beach ████████ reports that her taxi driver told her that locals called the beach as “The Graveyard”. No data before 2009 was available. If there were no deaths prior to 2009 on this beach in the previous 9 years an explanation would seem to be needed to explain the sudden increase. Alternatively there may have been other unreported deaths prior to 2009, and thus the annual mortality rate may be very much higher than the Ministry suggested.

2. The Barbados National Conservation Commission documentary evidence was that this beach had three currents: undertows, lateral/littoral currents/long shore drift and rip including flesh rips. The risks of these to swimmers were acknowledged and would seem to be on going and thus pertain both before 2009 and after 2015. Nevertheless, the report found no evidence that Mr Flett was in difficulty as a result of abnormal sea conditions, riptides or undercurrents, but the family see no other explanation of the sudden and unexpected drowning.

3. The steps that the FCO has taken since this death is to produce general advice noting that warning flags and lifeguards may not be present on all beaches and that there may be unexpected currents. The advice about risks of swimming in general do not appear to draw the attention of holiday makers the risks acknowledged by the Barbados National Conservation Commission and evidenced by the family on this beach in particular.

4. The British tour operator now draws the attention of holiday makers to FCO advice and there is a general leaflet warning swimmers of dangers of swimming, precautions and of rip tides and listed lifeguard supervised beaches. But this advice remains general and does not inform holiday makers of dangers at particular beaches.

5. The family submit and the coroner adopts in this report the suggestion that as ski runs are marked in colours of risk and that there is a range of difficulty and risk on different designation of some as green, red and black would be a way of indicating relative risk to potential swimmers.

6. The need for tourists to be aware of the geographic location of risks in booking holidays from the UK is one which the FCO is asked to consider.