Woman dies after cocktail binge

Coroner warns of the dangers of drinking alcohol abroad

A woman who died of alcohol poisoning while on holiday in the British Virgin Islands was probably unaware of how much she had drunk, an inquest heard.

Yvonne I’Anson drunk six rum smoothies and four tequila slammers – the equivalent of 30 shots of alcohol – before she collapsed and died. According to newspaper reports, she had been on a yachting holiday with her husband and three children, and had left the youngsters aboard the yacht while going ashore for dinner and drinks.

The inquest heard that Mrs I’Anson was drinking the cocktails while her husband drunk beer – and that after a while, she became drunk very quickly before collapsing. The cause of the death was identified as acute alcohol poisoning.

The coroner, recording a verdict of misadventure, warned of the dangers of drinking abroad, where alcohol measures can be much larger than those in the UK. He said Mrs I’Anson may well have drunk three times the amount of alcohol she had thought.