Devastating final moments of couple killed in ‘freak’ hot tub accident
The 25 August deaths of married couple Thomasina and Patrick Tobin have seen an update in the case.
It’s believed the London-based Irish mother and New Zealand father experienced a freak accident as the family were holidaying in a villa near Valencia in Spain.
According to the Daily Mail, the parents were found by their children, a 16-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son, both of whom have special needs.
While foul play has been ruled out in light of it being found the pair suffered cardiac arrests, questions have been called about the cause.
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Reports suggest Thomasina and Patrick’s deaths occurred either late at night or early hours on Tuesday morning, believing the pair had passed away after attempting to free themselves from the jacuzzi.
As a result, a debate has been called surrounding a hot tub’s ability to trap someone under the water.
In the latest update from the police, they suggested the tub malfunctioned, causing a powerful suction.
Currently, it is still not known what time the parents died, however, there are a few details being reported on the couple's final hours alive.
What is known is that there was a BBQ hosted that day, and they may have had a dip in the villa’s pool.
Then, they are said to have retreated to the spa area of the villa in the late afternoon, and were found by children around 5pm the next day.
However, the alarm wasn’t raised to his sister until the next morning – but given their special needs, this may not be a surprising reaction.
Once flagged, the pair are said to have found a neighbour who then called 112 – Spain's emergency department – and police confirmed the bodies of the parents were beside the tub.
As of now, it’s not known who was stuck and who may have attempted to rescue who.
Although, what is known is that something strange occurred.
The theory remains that the pair were left in a panic to escape the hot tub, with marks and scratches to the body seemingly confirming to investigators that there was a struggle.
Per local newspaper Levante-EMV, Mr Tobin had more deep bruises in the shape of the suction of the vent compared to his wife.
“According to the first investigations, the excessive suction force would have imprisoned the couple inside the bathtub, which triggered a situation of extreme anguish and desperate physical effort to free themselves from the hydraulic grip,” Las Provincias explained.
“The autopsy findings almost definitively reinforce the theory of accidental entrapment. Preliminary analyses indicate that the victims suffered cardiac arrest brought on by acute stress following physical exhaustion and the desperation of the moment.”
In light of the theories, the CEO of Goccia Spa – the company where a tub for Villa Luna was bought and installed, came out in defence of the tubs.
Carlos Navarro told the Daily Mail: “I have visited factories all around the world and seen many different designs and it is practically impossible for something like this to happen at hot tubs installed in the home.”
He added: “The suction is caused from two holes at the bottom and both have security nets. Maybe these nets broke and the owner never replaced them.
“It is very improbable but there may have been a chance that one of the holes became covered by something and blocked, causing all the suction to go through the other hole. But I still don’t think this would be enough pressure for an adult to get stuck. There are security measures that cause [hot tubs] to switch off every 15 minutes as well.”
Topics: World News, Ireland
Britt Jones