The parents of a young man who died in the Dominican Republic, after having perhaps been drugged without his knowledge, are demanding $1.5 million from Air Transat and a travel agency because of their “carelessness” and their “recklessness”.
• Also read: Died tragically in Punta Cana: William would have gone to the bar “22 times in two hours”, the hotel defends
• Also read: Le Journal in Punta Cana: no investigation into the tragic death of William Gareau
• Also read: Death of William Gareau in Punta Cana: the family shocked by the inaction of the Canadian and Dominican governments
“Were it not for the gross negligence of the representatives of the Resort, it is clear that William [Gareau] would be alive today,” support his parents, Sylvie Marcotte and François Gareau, in their lawsuit filed this week at the Montreal courthouse.
Sylvie Marcotte and François Gareau, who lost their son after falling from a balcony, are suing Transat and a travel agency for $1.5M.
Archive photo Joël Lemay, QMI Agency
The family of William Gareau, who died a year ago at the Grand Bahia Principe Ambar in Punta Cana, is suing a subsidiary of Air Transat and the travel agency Orientation la Seigneurie, located in Boucherville, since they were the ones who sold the journey.
The 25-year-old young man lost his life following a fall from the balcony of his room located on the third floor of a building.
According to his wife, William Gareau was “drugged without his knowledge,” the lawsuit states.
This one “displayed obvious signs of a person in mental distress”, it is specified.
Erratic behavior
According to the lawsuit, Mr. Gareau had “erratic behavior, made incoherent comments” and was found “unconscious, completely naked, lying in the corridor leading to his hotel room” by employees of the complex.
-“Rather than providing adequate assistance or immediately alerting the emergency services, they made the decision to take William back to his hotel room, thus leaving him alone,” lament his parents.
According to a risk analysis expert mandated by the family, “the level of training of the representatives of the Hotel Complex who intervened with William was clearly insufficient”, which demonstrates “a major gap in the ability of the Hotel Complex to ensure security and the well‐being of its residents.
A few minutes later, William Gareau was found on the ground, lying on the grass. He was taken to hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
It was from the top of this third floor, in a building of the Bahia Principe Luxury Ambar hotel in Punta Cana, that William Gareau fell a year ago.
Elisa Cloutier
Neither resort security personnel nor local police met with any witnesses or took any questioning steps following the death, according to the suit.
Similar events
Several media outlets had reported similar episodes in the past, deplore the bereaved parents of William Gareau. The Journal had notably reported several intoxicated vacationers in the Dominican Republic.
The parents of William Gareau believe that Air Transat and the travel agency failed to warn travelers “of the specific risks associated with the Hotel Complex and the Dominican Republic, in particular concerning documented incidents involving cases of intoxication without their knowledge and sudden psychotic behavior in some travelers.
They are therefore demanding $1.52 million from the two companies, believing that their “recklessness”, their “recklessness” and their “gross negligence” led to the young man’s death.
With Jonathan Tremblay
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