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Grandmother, 68, drowns in five-star swimming pool in Dominican Republic on her first vacation in 12 years

Marie Palfreeman, who is a divorcee from Court Close, Kidlington, passed away on February 3 while she was staying at Hotel Bahia Principe
PUBLISHED JUL 29, 2019

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: A 68-year-old woman died after she tragically drowned in the swimming pool of a five-star hotel in the Dominican Republic just days after landing for a holiday she had waited 12 years for.

As reported by the Oxford Mail, Marie Palfreeman who is a divorcee from Court Close, Kidlington passed away on February 3 while she was staying at Hotel Bahia Principe. Marie was taking a swim with her sister-in-law Linda Tinson when she drowned, Oxford Coroner’s Court was told.

Tinson shared in a statement, "Marie had very poor health, but still I do not understand how she got into difficulties so quickly. She was very close to the side of the pool and in a similar position when I saw her floating on the water." 

She added that the pair had decided to have a swim after breakfast. While Marie swam around in the shallow end, Tinson swam the length of the pool. Tinson recalled swimming to the other side of the pool in around 12 or 13 strokes and when she turned around, Marie was lying on her back. Tinson then rushed to revive her sister-in-law who was floating face down in the water. She immediately called out for help and was assisted by two off-duty Canadian paramedics who happened to be by the poolside. 

The paramedics helped to get Marie out of the pool and started to perform CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation). The security staff at the hotel rushed Marie to the hospital. A translated medical report revealed that even though Marie had coughed up water, she could not be revived. She was declared dead in the hospital shortly after 11 am and her cause of death was given as drowning. 

Darren Salter, the coroner, has ruled the grandmother's death as an accident. Salter told Marie's daughter-in-law Becky and Chelsea, one of her three grandchildren, who attended the inquest, the tragic death must have been an accident.

Salter said: "I cannot rule out some medical episode or something of that nature but there is no actual evidence of that. It all happened so quickly. She was close to the side of the pool, within her depth and, one would have thought, able to help herself in those circumstances.

"It is all, sadly, quite straightforward. A sad case, with Mrs. Palfreeman going on holiday abroad for the first time in that many years. She was removed from the pool and immediately taken by ambulance to the local hospital, but she could not be revived and died," he shared.

Marie had spent her last few days relaxing in the sun, and also enjoying the hotel's jacuzzi. 

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