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Father Seeks $7 Million for Food Poisoning Deaths in Dominican Republic
A Canadian family of four fell ill after eating at an all-inclusive resort’s buffet in late 2023, leading to the deaths of the mother and oldest son.
A Canadian man says his wife and 8-year-old son died because of food poisoning at an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic, according to the civil suit filed at the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario on Monday.
Stephen Gougeon, 38, a lawyer from Toronto, is seeking nearly $7 million in damages from the Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham resort, as well as a tour operator and other companies.
Mr. Gougeon said his family vacation in December 2023 turned into a nightmare after he, his wife, April Gougeon, and their two young sons ate at the buffet on the first night of their planned weeklong stay at Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham, one of a growing number of all-inclusive properties in the Caribbean nation.
The family awoke the next morning vomiting so intensely that they could not walk to the medical clinic at the resort.
“We couldn’t even make it to the washroom,” Mr. Gougeon said in a phone interview.
He said he asked the clinic for urgent help but was told its policy barred it from tending to guests in their rooms. After calling again to plead for assistance later that afternoon, the four were moved using wheelchairs to the clinic and then by ambulance to a hospital.
At the hospital, his 8-year-old son, Oliver, went into cardiac arrest and died. April, 41, died while unconscious on a ventilator. Mr. Gougeon and his son Wesley, then 6, were hospitalized for two days.
