A Canadian family has now filed a $10 million lawsuit after they say a mother and son suffered fatal food poisoning at an all-inclusive resort during a vacation to the Dominican Republic in 2023.
Mom and Son Allegedly Die from Food Poisoning at All-Inclusive Resort While on Vacation. Now the Family Is Suing
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Mom and Son Allegedly Die from Food Poisoning at All-Inclusive Resort While on Vacation. Now the Family Is Suing
April and Oliver Gougeon experienced “breathing difficulties” after being transported to a local hospital, where they both died, according to a new lawsuit
April and Oliver Gougeon died in December 2023 after eating food from a buffet at Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham Resort and subsequently getting sick, according to a new lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE
The mother and son allegedly experienced “breathing difficulties” after being transported to a local hospital, where they both later died
A local coroner determined that April and Oliver “died from secondary causes related to food poisoning,” per the court documents
A Canadian family has now filed a $10 million lawsuit after they say a mother and son suffered fatal food poisoning at an all-inclusive resort during a vacation to the Dominican Republic in 2023.
April and Oliver Gougeon died in December 2023 after eating food from a buffet at Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham Resort and subsequently getting sick, according to the claim filed in Ontario Superior Court on Monday, Jan. 27, and obtained by PEOPLE.
The mother and son experienced “breathing difficulties” after being transported to a local hospital, where they both later died, the lawsuit states.
Family members are suing Wyndham Hotels, Air Transat Holidays A.T. Inc., Transat Tours Canada Inc. — both Transat entities sold the vacation packages, the complaint states — as well as the on-site medical clinic and several parties for “gross negligence in food safety and emergency response,” according to a statement from lawyer Meghan M. Hull Jacquin.
“A year after a devastating incident at a Dominican Republic resort claimed the lives of April and Oliver Gougeon, the family is speaking out to prevent similar tragedies,” Jacquin said.
Air Transat disputes the lawsuit and has offered their condolences.
April and her husband, Stephen, arrived in the Dominican Republic with their sons Wesley and Oliver on Dec. 28, 2023, according to court documents. That same evening, around 9 p.m. local time, the family “consumed foods offered by the staff at the buffet.”