A husband is speaking out to warn others after his wife died of alcohol poisoning on holiday despite 'not seeming drunk'.
Thirty-seven-year old Paula Bishop had been out drinking with husband Stuart while on holiday in Fuerteventura, when they returned to their hotel Paula poured them each a glass of orange and they went to bed. Tragically, Stuart would find her body slumped over just hours later.
At her inquest, Stuart said she had drunk 'a few small beers', two glasses of wine and up to four Irish coffees. Coroner Tim Brennand recorded her death as 'alcohol related' concluding that she had drank too much in a short period of time. Blood tests found that she had drunk up to 15 units of alcohol.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Stuart, from Wigan, said: "I keep going over that day and wondering how this happened.
Advert
"I can't make sense of it. Paula didn't seem drunk or unsteady on her feet. She was coherent and chatting away to staff.
"I want people to learn from this. When you've been travelling all day, sitting in the sun or feeling tired, alcohol can hit you much quicker. In some countries measures aren't as strictly controlled as they are in the UK."
In a statement read out at the inquest, Stuart recalled: "For the remainder of the day, afternoon and evening she was fine, she had a sleep in the afternoon, had something to eat at tea time and was sending pictures to family on her phone and was in touch with loved ones.
"This was a perfect start to what we anticipated would be perfect holiday. She had a few small beers, two small glasses of wine, and three or four Irish coffees - between 10-15 units.
Advert
"We went to bed between 10 and 11 and crashed out. I was tired and hadn't had a sleep in the day time. My last memory of Paula was going back to the room - nothing out of the ordinary.
"She had poured a couple of glasses of orange juice which is something she would usually do if she was preparing to go to bed. But I woke up sometime after midnight and found Paula lying on the floor propped up against a chest of drawers. I touched her belly and it was cold and then tried to find a pulse. Her legs had changed colour.
"I ran down to the reception area straight away and brought up a night time security who then alerted paramedics. When I first looked at her, I thought straight away that she had passed away and my automatic reaction was to get help. I shook her and tried to speak to her but got nothing. Paramedics attended and tried resuscitation but she could not be saved."
Advert
Since the inquest, Stuart has been raising awareness about the potential dangers of drinking abroad.
He added: "A few news reports afterwards said we were on a pub crawl, which absolutely isn't true. We only went to two bars.
"It's not like we hopped off the plane and went boozing. We were just relaxing on holiday like anybody else."
Featured Image Credit: CavendishTopics: UK News, Alcohol, Health