Unfortunately, another black eye for Mexico

C-Bob - No, I drove down from Calgary but I am from Ontario. No info on what was published there but you could check the Calgary newspaper(s) websites, I imagine.

I don't have any statistics to back this up but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that more tourists die here falling off of ruins,hotel balconies or getting hit in head by falling coconuts than by foul play.

According to Richard Rhoda, author of Geo-Mexico, a fairly high percentage of the deaths turn out to be drug related. The person got in with the wrong crowd. That usually doesn't get mentioned.

c Bob what ever happened to the Canadian that was with the guy who was arrested for beating the woman? Was he ever questioned or checked out?
' That was a really weird story among a few others..

From what I understand, the Canadian and his mother both lived in Mazatlan and disappeared as soon as the Mexican was arrested. Perhaps the Mexican didn't give the authorities his name to follow up on. It is a very strange story but if I had to bet on it I would say it was an afternoon of heavy drinking and drug use with the wrong people, gone bad.

I'm with you on that, Bob.

I'm betting that neither she nor her husband knows exactly what transpired. You might remember that the husband faced public speculation that he was somehow involved. There doesn't seem to be any evidence to support that theory, and that kind of talk must have been very difficult to deal with when he was busy trying to cope with what had happened to his wife.

There is an article here
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1140165--sheila-nabb-attack-mystery-behind-canadian-woman-beaten-in-mexico
which gives some background about the case and about the accused.

Sheila McNabb may have been intoxicated at the time of the attack. Eyewitness reports say that she and her husband had been drinking, and what little we know about her behaviour certainly appears to indicate that she wasn't acting rationally. Possibly her attacker was intoxicated too. Consider the extemely brutal and apparently senseless nature of the attack. It was not a case of someone getting pissed off and throwing a punch or two. Her face was shattered to the point where she required extensive reconstructive surgery. Given her inebriated condition and the severe trauma of the attack, it is quite possible that she really does not remember what happened. The only other person who knows is the attacker, who may or may not be the local guy who was charged with the crime. The attacker might have been wasted himself or even mentally ill, so his recollection could be faulty, and in any case he's not likely to go public with the story, especially if he's not the suspect in custody.

This is one mystery that might never be solved. Perhaps it could have been, with excellent police investigative and forensic work, but it's probably too late now.

Didn't the suspect claim that he was too coked out to remember much of what happened?

viajero wrote:I don't have any statistics to back this up but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that more tourists die here falling off of ruins,hotel balconies or getting hit in head by falling coconuts than by foul play.

Seems reasonable to me... after all, most people seem to die from accidents.
Most accidents supposedly take place "within 25 miles of home"... wherever "home" might happen to be.
Stroke... heart attack... diabetic coma... drunk and driving... to name but a few. L

I have a question about how decisions are made about which 'Inside Lakeside' forum a post belongs in.

When I posted this exact same article on the "Out On The Mirador" forum last week, it was bumped to the Crime in Mexico forum.

Now I see an identical post, with a different subject title, on the "Out On The Mirador" forum.

No big deal, I am just wondering how these decisions are made.

It seems just about everything gets posted in the "Mirador" and I move them to what I think is the most appropriate section when I see them and/or get time.

MexicoJimbo:

You have picked up on a forum phenomena and an indicator of just how we often think. Since the "Mirador" is the general discussion section, posters with something very important to say tend to ignore the logical categories that CanuckBob has furnished. A great example is the Paws, Claws, Fins & Feathers section (a unique forum category not furnished by other forums). Now check the Mirador for how many posts have been started regarding dogs, cats and other animals because the post is so special that the poster cannot be bothered to place it in the section created just for that purpose.

The other phenomena is when a seemingly innocuous post takes a turn and a bright sunny day turns into Hurricane Julio.

There is also the fact that the Mirador is where most everybody looks first... it gets the most visits.

Folks are just wanting to maximize their coverage, I think. Lizzy

[quote="Flamingo"]According to Richard Rhoda, author of [i]Geo-Mexico[/i], a fairly high percentage of the deaths turn out to be drug related. The person got in with the wrong crowd. That usually doesn't get mentioned.[/quote]

or there are reports of people being "drugged" with out their knowledge, may not result in death but very high medical bills!!!

[quote="rocky1"][quote="Flamingo"]According to Richard Rhoda, author of [i]Geo-Mexico[/i], a fairly high percentage of the deaths turn out to be drug related. The person got in with the wrong crowd. That usually doesn't get mentioned.[/quote]

or there are reports of people being "drugged" with out their knowledge, may not result in death but very high medical bills!!!
[/quote]

before anyone questions the reports google
Weyburn Couple Feels "Lucky" Returning from Mexican Vacation
Written by Jennifer LaCharite
Monday, 05 March 2012 18:14

also check out Mexicovacationawarness.com,

No one is questioning the reports. We question the motive behind their sensationalism.

Google -- date rape drug -canada -- and see what you find.

Thanks for the link to the Weyburn story, Rocky 1.

Seisdedos, most other date rape drug incidents in Canada involve a young woman being drugged so someone can sexually assault her. The date rape drug is not usually associated with respectable couples from Weyburn and Red Deer being drugged to drum up business for a private hospital. I read the story, and I don't think that particular story is sensationalised.

As for the story mentioned by the OP - considering the stir that this possible murder must be creating in Regina, where murders of well-known respectable businessmen are rare, the story has been kept very quiet.
Neither Foreign Affairs or the deceased man's family is engaging in public discussion, leaving the press with nothing to report.

I'm not commenting on the American media because I am less familiar with it, but as someone who lived in Canada and followed Canadian media for many years, my impression is that vacation horror stories receive the same coverage no matter where they happen. Perhaps the reason so many of them feature Mexico is because so many Canadians vacation here, so one might expect a higher number of unfortunate events.

Traveller wrote:Thanks for the link to the Weyburn story, Rocky 1.

Seisdedos, most other date rape drug incidents in Canada involve a young woman being drugged so someone can sexually assault her. The date rape drug is not usually associated with respectable couples from Weyburn and Red Deer being drugged to drum up business for a private hospital. I read the story, and I don't think that particular story is sensationalised.

As for the story mentioned by the OP - considering the stir that this possible murder must be creating in Regina, where murders of well-known respectable businessmen are rare, the story has been kept very quiet.
Neither Foreign Affairs or the deceased man's family is engaging in public discussion, leaving the press with nothing to report.

I'm not commenting on the American media because I am less familiar with it, but as someone who lived in Canada and followed Canadian media for many years, my impression is that vacation horror stories receive the same coverage no matter where they happen. Perhaps the reason so many of them feature Mexico is because so many Canadians vacation here, so one might expect a higher number of unfortunate events.

From the link posted above:

"The Victims on this page are just a few of the hundreds of travelers that have died or have been severely injured as a result of negligence, incompetence, and crime both inside and outside of Mexican Resorts. Many of these deaths were caused by a lack of safety standards and enforcement by the Mexican Tourism Industry. Mexico has an alarming number of tourist problems and challenges and travelers should choose to vacation elsewhere."

Looks like someone is trying to keep foreign tourists from visiting this country. The list of victims includes those killed in accidents. Accidents that happen in Canada on a daily basis. And considering the amount of Canadians visiting this country I would say that the use of the phrase "alarming number" is quite an exaggerration.

The second "victim" on the list died of a heart attack. How the hell can that be blamed on Mexico?

The next one, a spring breaker, died in a moped accident. Wonder if he was wearing a helmut? Could alcohol have anything to do with it?

I worked for a Canadian tour operator for many years. All the thousands of people we sent to the various holiday destinations in Mexico returned home safely and the only incidents reported were the kind one might expect anywhere, such as pick pockets or thefts from room safes. We had one vacationer to Cuba, of all places, who disappeared and we were not able to find out what happened to him. There was very little press coverage about that. No responsible company will knowingly send tourists into a dangerous situation. People still want to spend their vacation time in Mexico even with the negative press.

seisdedos and ocelot - Great posts!!!!

johninajijic wrote:seisdedos and ocelot - Great posts!!!!

Felicides seisdedos!! jajaja

The only thing "alarming" is the number of Canadians visiting and living in Mexico.

Just kiddin', my friends.
Please don't banish me CBob...I'll go quietly.

Seisedos, it wasn't me who posted the mexicovacation awareness.com link, but since you brought it up, I checked it out.

In my post, I commented on Canadian media. Mexicovacationawareness is an American site, although it does include incidents involving Canadians. It is not a typical media site. It is dedicated to discouraging Americans from vacationing in Mexico until the Mexican authorities and tourist industry improve Mexican safety procedures and incident follow-up practices. It was started in 2007 in response to the death of a young American, Nolan Webster. His family feels that he did not receive appropriate emergency treatment after being pulled from a Cancun hotel pool. The contributors to the site are not a group of anti-Mexican conspirators. They are the grieving families and friends of people who died in a variety of circumstances. Now that I've read some of their stories, I can certainly understand where they're coming from.

As for the "hundreds of deaths", the site has a link to the US State Department which does indeed list hundreds of American deaths in Mexico from non-natural causes, 2002-2011. It also lists deaths in all other countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Most of the Mexican deaths are from automobile accidents, but a significant percentage are homicides. That's not sensationalism, just facts.

On the other hand, there are many, many sites dedicated to encouraging Americans and Canadians to take Mexican vacations. The media is not taking a one-sided, anti-Mexico stance. When bad things happen to Americans and Canadians in Mexico, the media back home reports it, as indeed it reports bad things that happen in any other country.

Traveller wrote:Seisedos, it wasn't me who posted the mexicovacation awareness.com link, but since you brought it up, I checked it out.

In my post, I commented on Canadian media. Mexicovacationawareness is an American site, although it does include incidents involving Canadians.

As for the "hundreds of deaths", the site has a link to the US State Department which does indeed list hundreds of American deaths in Mexico from non-natural causes, 2002-2011. It also lists deaths in all other countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Most of the Mexican deaths are from automobile accidents, but a significant percentage are homicides. That's not sensationalism, just facts.

I didn't say you posted the link. Read more carefully.

Hundreds of deaths in a 10 year span isn't what I'd call something to get alarmed over. You, being a Canadian, are probably unfamiliar with the dynamics of the US/Mexico border and that huge amount of people that cross it everyday. Those, plus the large number of Americans who visit every year, add up to many millions of people. Statistically I think you will find that those who victims of crime are far from alarming. Add to that the number of dual citizen victims that may have lived here their entire lives but will be counted by the US State Department as US citizens in their crime reports as if they were merely visiting this country.

I revisited the website and saw that that most of the victims on that page died from accidents. please explain to the readers why Mexico is responsible for the safety of people, such as inexperienced ocean swimmers, that venture into churning surf that they have no business playing in? I know of many cases in the state of Oregon where people unfamiliar with the ocean conditions are swept out to sea. Should someone start a website to make people aware of those cases? This may sound crass and cold but the people running that site are motivated not by some altruistic mission to save others from a fate their loved ones suffered. They seek payback of some sort. They want Mexico to pay for what they feel was an unjust death. An understandable emotion under the circumstances but not necessarliy justified.

I feel terrible for the families that have lost their loved ones while on vacation in Mexico. Just last week 2 people I knew, an American and his Mexican wife who were in this country for a short stay, lost their lives along with 3 Mexicans in a car crash. A tire on a NEW pickup they were passengers in blew out and swerved head on into another vehicle. Maybe you should report that to mexicoawareness.com. It was surely negligence on the part of Mexico that caused their death. Those things simply don't happen in the US or Canada.

gringal wrote:People I know just moved back to the states for health reasons. At the border, the agent on the U.S. side told them they "just got out in time", in spite of protests that the returnees had had no problems in ten years of living in Mexico. Didn't make a dent in the agent, whose mind was thoroughly made up.

People seem to love bad news about what's happening SOMEWHERE ELSE, since it makes them feel better about the place they're living.....like AZ or TX.
Go figure.

That is how the main stream media loves to portray any and all news.

You know the old saying “If it bleeds it leads!”

[quote="seisdedos"][quote="Traveller"]Seisedos, it wasn't me who posted the mexicovacation awareness.com link, but since you brought it up, I checked it out.

In my post, I commented on Canadian media. Mexicovacationawareness is an American site, although it does include incidents involving Canadians.

As for the "hundreds of deaths", the site has a link to the US State Department which does indeed list hundreds of American deaths in Mexico from non-natural causes, 2002-2011. It also lists deaths in all other countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Most of the Mexican deaths are from automobile accidents, but a significant percentage are homicides. That's not sensationalism, just facts.


[/quote]

I didn't say you posted the link. Read more carefully.

Hundreds of deaths in a 10 year span isn't what I'd call something to get alarmed over. You, being a Canadian, are probably unfamiliar with the dynamics of the US/Mexico border and that huge amount of people that cross it everyday. Those, plus the large number of Americans who visit every year, add up to many millions of people. Statistically I think you will find that those who victims of crime are far from alarming. Add to that the number of dual citizen victims that may have lived here their entire lives but will be counted by the US State Department as US citizens in their crime reports as if they were merely visiting this country.

I revisited the website and saw that that most of the victims on that page died from accidents. please explain to the readers why Mexico is responsible for the safety of people, such as inexperienced ocean swimmers, that venture into churning surf that they have no business playing in? I know of many cases in the state of Oregon where people unfamiliar with the ocean conditions are swept out to sea. Should someone start a website to make people aware of those cases? This may sound crass and cold but the people running that site are motivated not by some altruistic mission to save others from a fate their loved ones suffered. They seek payback of some sort. They want Mexico to pay for what they feel was an unjust death. An understandable emotion under the circumstances but not necessarliy justified.

I feel terrible for the families that have lost their loved ones while on vacation in Mexico. Just last week 2 people I knew, an American and his Mexican wife who were in this country for a short stay, lost their lives along with 3 Mexicans in a car crash. A tire on a NEW pickup they were passengers in blew out and swerved head on into another vehicle. Maybe you should report that to mexicoawareness.com. It was surely negligence on the part of Mexico that caused their death. Those things simply don't happen in the US or Canada.[/quote]

I rocky was the one who posted the link, and for you to say "most of the victims on that page died from accidents". Please read the below 5 stories of Nolan, Andrew, Brent, Hunter, and Davon, and then be the judge?

“THE TRAGIC DEATH OF NOLAN WEBSTER”
Eyewitness Account (click to read)


On January 6, 2007 our 22-year-old son Nolan L. Webster and his girlfriend flew to Cancun Mexico for a one-week dream vacation at the Oasis Hotel. This trip was purchased through Apple Vacations and was a college graduation gift to Nolan from his father and me. Nolan graduated from the University of Massachusetts just 3 weeks prior to his senseless and untimely death. On Sunday, January 7th, 2007 less than 30 hours after his arrival at the Oasis Hotel, Nolan was dead. He was pulled from the 4 1/2 foot deep hotel pool alive but unconscious. This tragedy took place in the middle of the afternoon with a resort full of guests. Nolan’s death is not only horrific, but also an unimaginable loss of a very special individual. We have since learned that Nolan is not the only U.S. victim that has died at this resort.


The Oasis Hotel prides itself on having the largest swimming pool in Cancun. Perhaps it is their ploy to lure unsuspecting tourists to a pool that obviously does not comply with safety standards. The lack of safety and disregard for security are appalling as well as outrageous. What truly remains “Beyond Your Expectations” is the fact that hotel employees’ did not know CPR---this fact alone is reprehensible. There are signs at the pool indicating that lifeguards were present and on duty but they were not present at the time that Nolan was in the pool.


Our family has been contacted by a number of guests that witnessed the tragic events. Every one of these guests has noted serious concerns about the lack of emergency steps taken by the Oasis Hotel management to prevent Nolan’s death. Two guests immediately took Nolan out of the pool and within minutes another guest who is a trauma room nurse came to assist. He (nurse) shared the events as they unfolded and the alarming fact that there was no sense of urgency to the medical emergency. Imagine a trained professional from Canada initiated life saving efforts while resort officials did nothing. He had to ask the resort to call for an ambulance. It took approximately 10 minutes for resort personnel to even confirm that an ambulance was on the way. The ambulance arrived at the hotel 30 minutes from the time Nolan was taken out of the pool. When the alleged “hotel doctor” finally arrived at the scene he REFUSED to treat Nolan. The nurse was told to “leave him alone, he is just drunk”. Nolan was taking breaths at the time. His color was progressively becoming mottled and blue. The nurse, in an effort to save Nolan’s life, attempted to take the ambu bag and emergency kit from the “hotel doctor” since the doctor seemingly had no intention of using it.


The doctor snatched the ambu bag from the nurse and refused to allow the nurse to treat Nolan. The nurse pleaded with the hotel doctor to give Nolan some oxygen but the doctor did not take any action to sustain Nolan’s life. He was forced away from our son by hotel security. When the ambulance arrived they put a blanket over Nolan and pronounced him dead. At no time did anyone from the hotel or ambulance crew provide oxygen or attempt to perform any life saving techniques. After Nolan was declared “DEAD” his body was left beside the pool for over 4 hours.


Nolan’s girlfriend called us crying hysterically and telling us “I think Nolan’s dead”! At the time of Nolan’s accident she was in the hotel room. She received a phone call in her room and was told by resort officials to go to the pool. Once she arrived and saw Nolan she was picked up by hotel security and carried away. This phone call was the only one we ever received from anyone. Imagine trying to make sense of what you were just told. We were and still are in shock. We cannot comprehend that this is the way the Oasis Resort and Apple Vacations think such tragedies should be handled. Avoidance, no communication with family ,and a cavalier attitude, all of which project a lack of value for life.


This type of disregard for life is unacceptable and cannot and should not be tolerated by the Mexican or U.S. tourism industries. Inhumane behavior must have consequences. It is imperative that the U.S. State Department expose resorts and tour companies responsible for causing life-devastation. These same resorts must be held accountable for causing the deaths of innocent U.S. citizens while on vacation.


U.S. citizens have the right to be informed as to the lack of regard for safety, security, and life that exists in the Riviera Maya area. We know that reporting laws exist for Americans who die from non-natural causes abroad but the reporting is not detailed and the U.S. State Department is not in compliance with the entirety of the law. Any American contemplating traveling to Mexico’s Riviera Maya, including Cancun, must be informed of the unimaginable dangers that exist. Our goal is to provide honest information so that no other family will ever have to live with such profound sadness and loss.


The Family of Nolan L. Webster


THE TRAGIC DEATH OF ANDREW SMITH”


Ten of us left for Cancun on what was supposed to be a week of fun and sun and to create happy family memories. Nine of us came back to the United States and the memories were anything but happy.


We tell our story and encourage others to share theirs in hopes of educating people on the perils of vacationing in Mexico. We were not aware of these horrors before our trip.


We believed all the ads and talk about a relatively inexpensive vacation in Mexico full of fun, sun and relaxation. That was until our 16-year-old son Andrew fell into an unprotected elevator shaft and our nightmare began.


Our son Andrew was on the fourth floor of the Hotel Royal Solaris and pushed the button for the elevator. While waiting for the elevator he leaned on a painted white plywood structure next to the elevator. The structure hinged inward away from what was an open elevator shaft. As the unsecured structure collapsed away from the open elevator Andrew fell through the open shaft 5 stories to the basement of the Hotel Solaris.


Andrew’s friend Ray, who was also 16, was waiting for the elevator with Andrew. He ran down to the pool area to tell us what happened. When we ran to the elevator the Hotel Solaris staff had moved a similar plywood structure from the lobby level and we could hear Andrew asking for help. At first they would not let us near the elevator. Andrew’s brother, Shawn, his cousin Zach and Ray ran to the 4th floor so that they could talk with him. The Hotel Solaris then agreed to let us talk to him.


“I need help, I can’t get up,” Andrew said. “I just need help man.”


We told him help was on the way and how much we loved him. We didn’t know then that there was no real help on the way. We also didn’t know that he was lying there, bleeding, while no trained medical staff was on the way.


It took 15 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. They administered oxygen and an IV and told us that they were not authorized to move Andrew until a doctor came. We paced back and forth and talked to Andrew for another 35 minutes while a doctor, untrained in trauma, came to the hotel. We believe he was a pediatrician. Our 16-year-old, just shy of 6 feet, and a 225-pound muscular football player, was not in need of a pediatrician. He needed a trauma crew and he needed it fast.


Fifty minutes of what is referred to as the golden trauma hour in which it is critical for all trauma patients to get to a hospital was now wasted waiting for this doctor. The doctor who arrived at the hotel decided to remove Andrew from the steel bar he was imbedded on rather than cut the bar and reduce the amount of blood loss. Andrew was removed from the shaft and put on a stretcher where he lied gray and bleeding with part of his intensities now outside his body from the removal of the bar. Andrew was still saying he loved us and just needed some water.


Andrew and his dad were then taken by ambulance to the hospital. In the ambulance his dad had to hold him on the gurney because he was not strapped in. One of the EMT’s tried to administer an IV but the doctor stopped him. Andrew’s dad asked that he be given an IV but the doctor said, “No,” and the EMT went back to the front of the ambulance for the rest of the ride. Andrew’s dad asked if there would be a surgical team ready for Andrew and the doctor said, “Yes.” Andrew’s dad begged the doctor to do something to stop the bleeding or let the EMT’s do something. The doctor did nothing. No pressure was ever applied to the wound other than by Andrew’s own dad trying to save his son. The doctor did nothing for our son on the way to the hospital. He did not even talk to our son who kept asking for “Aqua, aqua.”


At the Las Americas Hospital where Andrew was taken to, in the hall of the emergency room, nurses opened up plastic wrapped medical equipment on top of our son and began spraying the equipment. They removed my husband to the waiting area saying they were taking Andrew to surgery. About 20 minutes after this the doctors came out to tell us Andrew’s heart stopped several times on the table and that he was now dead.


In shock we took our son home to bury him and we were forced to try to figure out why no one trained in trauma was called to help our son and why he was basically left to bleed to death.


Our nightmares over our son’s death and the horrors of dealing with Mexico continue. We have been left to feel like doctors in Mexico are incapable of handling a trauma situation or unwilling to help tourists. Similarly, we believe that everyone in Mexico lies to protect themselves; that they do not care about anyone unless there is money to be gained and that most agencies and officials want to be bribed for any information.


In exchanging stories with other Americans who have lost love ones in Mexico it seems to be the protocol to not administer medical care and let the person die. The authorities then say that our loved ones jumped, or drowned. They don’t mention that the doctor refused to treat them at poolside even though they still had a pulse (See Nolan Webster story), or that the uncovered pool drain sucked your child in the pipe, which caused him to drown. (See Brent Midlock story) or they say that your son jumped off a balcony, not that he fell off the balcony, because the balconies in Mexico are kept low as to not obstruct pool or ocean views and don’t adhere to any safety regulations (See Tim Flocco story).


Hotel Solaris Lies

When we left for the hospital a driver from the hotel took five family members in a hotel van along with two social directors from the hotel that had been exceedingly nice to us during our stay at the hotel. They assured us that Andrew was going to the best hospital and that he would be ok. At the hospital they held our hands and gave us words of encouragement and they called their priest to come to the hospital. The minute they found out that Andrew had died they left the hospital and we never heard from them again.


As we arrived back at the hotel from the hospital the hotel staff was putting up yellow and black caution tape on the plywood structures on each level of the hotel. They later bolted them to the walls. It’s hard to comprehend that less then $100.00 in locks and caution tape would have saved our son’s life.


The next day my sister was exchanging money at the front desk of the Hotel Solaris when another hotel guest walked up to the manager at the desk and asked how the young man in the elevator made out last night. They told him, “He’s just fine. He didn’t even break a bone.” My sister let the hotel guest know that her nephew had died and that this hotel was a bunch of liars.


Newspaper lies

The Cancun paper printed the next day that our son had jumped off the balcony of the Hotel Solaris, which caused his death.


Police Lie

After five of us were taken to the hospital the hotel staff and police came to my sister’s hotel room. They took Ray (Andrew’s friend) at my sister’s objection saying that he was in Mexico and US rules did not apply. She said he was a minor, and they had to wait until his guardians arrived. They told her “Not in Mexico” and took Ray. They questioned Ray for hours before his guardians could be reached at their hotel. Over much objection they finally released Ray.


The police picked up Ray the next day and again questioned him for hours with and without his Aunt and Uncle present. His Aunt and Uncle called us here in the States to say they would not let him go. We had friends start calling senators and other constituents here in the U.S. to try and have him released. Ray was finally released after hours of questioning, being forced to answer questions based on restaged photos of the elevator seen. Ray told them over and over that it was not what it looked like. They had restaged it to make it look like Andrew would have to force the structure away and not as it was in which a 4-year-old could have moved it. They did finally present photos of the actual way it was, which they again questioned Ray on over and over.


Demand for medical payment

As they took our son back to surgery the hospital personal wanted to know how we were going to pay for surgery before they would actually start. They wanted to be able to speak to someone at our insurance company even though it was 9 p.m. in the States. They finally agreed to perform the surgery. The next morning the hospital called us at the hotel and said we would not be allowed to leave the country until the hospital bill was paid. We had to put it on our charge card over the phone or authorities would stop us from leaving the country.


Refusal to give us medical and police reports

It took us to the extent of hiring lawyers in the U.S. and Mexico and numerous contacts with the American Consultant in Mexico to have any official reports released regarding the autopsy, ambulance, hospital and police reports. Through many efforts from us, and our lawyers in both countries, it still took 15 months before we received any of these reports.


Please just know before you go

We realize that thousands of people have gone to Mexico and had great vacations often returning again and again. Yes, it is a fun place to go to as long as you do not need medical attention or have to deal with the police for any reason, and can safely travel around the country without being raped, robbed or beaten. Please read some of stories shared on this web site to get an idea of what is happening all over Mexico, not just in Mexico City and Tijuana. Read the statistics on rape robbery, and muggings of tourist. We share are losses with you to honor those we lost by helping your families to make an educated vacation choice and to keep your families whole. We also hope by speaking out about our losses that we will encourage more safety laws and better medical treatment for those who live in Mexico.


Please help us to honor our loved ones by making educated decisions on all your travels.



The Family of Andrew Smith


“THE TRAGIC DEATH OF BRENT McCOY MIDLOCK”


Brent Midlock was violently dragged 10 feet inside one of the resort's swimming pool pipes at theOccidental Grand Xcaret located in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. He was killed due to the gross negligence of the owners/operators, by the gross negligence of the resort staff, and the lack of safety and security on the premises of the resort.



Brent was an innocent child who entered a 4-foot deep pool promoted as a pool to snorkel in. Warning signs did not exist, there was not a life-guard, and there were not any employees located by, near or around the pool. There was no visible danger to guests and no reason to believe that there was eminent danger to any guest. This resort allegedly is designated as an "upscale, family-friendly" place. Does Occidental provide the vacation of a lifetime? You can bet your life on it — Brent Midlock did. Is that what they mean when they say their Mayan Riviera resorts are "family friendly"? The only way to avoid the thousands of tragedies like these is to avoid traveling in regions that are not safe. Spend your tourist dollars elsewhere.



"Beyond Your Expectations…" Mexico and the Occidentalcertainly surpassed expectations. They served up the tragedy of a missing person and Brent’s untimely death seasoned with management lies and deception used to cover up the truth. They chose to recover the lifeless body of an innocent 8-year-old under the cover of darkness in the deep of the night, which meant that they didn't close the swimming pool and adjacent restaurant during peak hours even though Brent Midlock lay dead in the pool in one of the pipes all during that time. They chose to allow Brent's family to believe he was missing during the recovery process. They chose to refuse to accept responsibility and accountability for the death they caused by their own negligence, and to date continue to deny their culpability. Occidental’scorporate philosophy talks about offering guests a “variety of interests”, do these interests include management deceiving its guests, denying accountability, and deflecting responsibility for destroying people's lives in order to cover-up their negligence and incompetence?



Occidental Hotels and Resorts"...we integrate Dangers Analysis, followed by a system of Environmental Management. Once we consolidate these phases, the hotel establishes a mature level of quality management to achieve excellence in quality.” Excellence in quality and an integrated dangers analysis resulted in a series of three underwater drain pipes, each 12 inches in diameter, with the force of gravity pulling water into at least one of them at a 600 psi. That is water pressure strong enough to cause Brent to be sucked into one of the pipes in less than a second and folded in half, dislocating his shoulders, right elbow, and left knee. That is quality and safety in the eyes of Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret.



The level of hospitality offered by the management of the Occidental to the Midlock family included having resort security follow their movements, deny them access to the sight of their son's death, and lock them out of their room. The owners/operators of the Occidental never once called the room, offered any counseling, or even cleaned the room after Brent died. Their treatment defied innate human qualities that most people in a civilized world possess. The family was ignored and treated with less dignity than animals going to slaughter. Brent’s body was treated even worse. Expectations, hospitality, and quality management... to Occidental these are nothing other than empty rhetoric.



The Midlock’s went to check in at the Caribbean Village. They presented the travel documents and confirmation to the front desk attendant. Yet, to their surprise, the attendant told the family that they were overbooked and they were going to another Occidentalproperty, Flamenco Grand Xcaret. The Midlock’s asked how that could be possible, as Applehadn't notified them of any changes.



Apple’s Contractunmistakably states the following: "In the unlikely event that a major change (involving a change of hotel, departure or return date, departure city, or destination) becomes necessary, we will notify you as soon as possible. If you find the revised arrangements we offer unacceptable, you will have the option of cancellation without charge (less insurance premium) provided that you notify us within seven days of your receipt of notice of the change (or prior to departure date if notified less than seven day prior). In the event of a change we will try to substitute comparable services, but in the event of complete cancellation by us, our only liability will be to refund all monies paid. Special features offered by hotels are subject to change at the hotel's discretion."



TheApplecatalogue states that the resort had a 5 Apple rating which is based on "hundreds of thousands" of Apple Vacation Questionnaires. It is interesting to note that they could have thousands of surveys returned to rate a resort that hadn't been open for even one year. According to Apple, the Occidental's 5 Apple rating indicates it is an excellent resort "with superior first-class accommodations, and guest services.” Apple now maintains that they knew nothing about the situation, allowing one to interpret that they do not follow their customers "every step of the way”.



Clearly,Appleviolated their contract with the Midlock family by either not knowing where their clients were or by pre-arranging the transfer. In either case, it was a distinct breach of trust, service, and competence. As a result, Apple Vacations became an accomplice to the senseless death of an innocent 8-year-old child, Brent Midlock. Apple continues to promote a resort, the Occidental Grand Xcaret, where the hotel's negligence created life-altering devastation. This behavior allows one to question the ethics and morality of Apple's management because they continue to associate with such a resort. The same can be said about tour operators and Internet sites (such as Fun Jet / Trip Advisor, etc.) which continue to promote this resort via allegedly unbiased reviews, many of which are created by the resorts themselves.


“THE TRAGIC DEATH OF HUNTER BERRY”


As you go through every day life, you never think for a moment that it could happen to you. These terrible tragedies only happen to other people, because you could never even imagine the pain of losing a child. It's too much to bare even thinking about. But the worst did happen to my family. I hope you will read on in the hopes that this story may save your child or a family member's life someday.



On July 16, 2007, our worst nightmare became a reality. We took our family and a few friends to the Coco Beach Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico on vacation. Our 9-year-old son, Hunter, was with us. We had been there for two days, having a great time. Upon his grandmother's arrival to the resort, he kindly ordered her favorite drink at the bar. She waited in the room for him to deliver her luggage to her, because he loved to do those things, but he didn't come back.



Donny (Hunter’s dad) and his daughter Steely were just getting back to the dock from snorkeling, when they both received calls to get down to the pool immediately. When everyone arrived, it was a horrendous scene. Hunter was lying lifeless on the ground while two American tourists were performing CPR on him. Donny went frantic begging to know what had happened. Apparently, he was playing in the three connected hot tubs and there was no one else in them at the time. He lost his footing, hit his head and was knocked unconscious, then drowned without anyone noticing for at least 10 minutes.



When the witnesses, including Hunter's family, were asking for help, none of the lifeguards or resort pool staff knew CPR. That is when the tourists, that just so happened to be a doctor and nurse, began performing CPR on their own. After about 40 minutes of pumping water from Hunter's lungs, they asked for a defibrillator and oxygen to take the next potentially life-saving steps, but there was none on site available anywhere. By this time, an ambulance had been called. It took them an hour to arrive. When they got there, they still had no medical equipment whatsoever available.



Basically, they came to retrieve a body and had no intentions of saving a life. It appeared they just wanted to clear the scene and move the body quickly to avoid any media or keep as many people as possible from witnessing the tragedy. Since the Mexican officials came so unprepared, you would think they would be gracious enough to allow the American tourists to keep performing CPR, at least until the family was satisfied that no more could be done to save Hunter. To Donny and his family's horror, they forced them to stop doing CPR. Donny begged the officials to let them continue. The doctor told Donny he had revived people after an hour or more of CPR, when oxygen and a defibrillator were available, of course. Donny picked his son up in his arms begging them to please do something. They told Donny to "put the body down”. He refused. He said, "No one can tell me not to touch my son”. The officials drew their guns and said that if he didn't put him down, they would arrest him. After Donny set his lifeless son on the ground, the Mexican officials pulled Hunter’s eye open, poked a careless finger to his chest for a second, then said, "He's dead, there's no need to do CPR”. They then carried him across the entire pool. As if this wasn’t handled badly enough, the Mexican officials, to use a nice word, placed his body in the back of, not an ambulance, but a pickup truck with a gem cover on the back. (I’m sure you've seen something similar used for construction on our roads.) In complete disbelief, this was how the death of their son was treated.



Donny later went to the funeral home to see his son. The man at the funeral home refused very hatefully. Donny, desperate to see him, offered the man $200.00. He greedily accepted and let him see Hunter's body. After all was said and done, Donny walked out without paying the man who didn't dare argue.



Hunter was an amazing little boy full of love for his family and friends. He loved baseball, football, and had the hopes and dreams that all children are entitled to. His life was cut short by this tragedy. Hunter’s family received no compassion from the COCO BEACH RESORT, the resort staff or the Mexican officials. Hunter’s little body was treated with such disregard.



No matter how great of a swimmer your child is, do not let them out of your sight for a second. But all that aside, research the hotels and resorts you choose to stay at, especially in other countries. Ask them what medical precautions they take for their guests. Ask if they have oxygen and defibrillators. You never know when you or a loved one may need them. Check to see if their pool staff is certified in CPR. If they answer “no” to any of these questions, then they do not care about the safety of their guests. They do not deserve your money or trust as a customer. The Berry family, still to this day, have received no apology from the COCO BEACH RESORT IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN or FUN JET. We have also posted a similar story on Trip Advisor, and they deleted our entire forum. Their slogan is "Get the truth, Then Go”. I guess they only want their readers to have the "pretty truth”. There are a lot of politics involved, but this is an injustice to the 20 million North American tourists for which Mexico reaps financial benefits from annually. Mexico contributes to 1/3 of all “non-natural” deaths of U.S. citizen’s abroad in the world! Our family believes that it is every citizen’s right to be aware of the unnecessary deaths of children while vacationing in Mexico. It should be the right of all citizens to know how frequently these deaths occur. Mexico needs to enforce safety standards for all resorts/hotels as a means to prevent such senseless and unnecessary deaths. There are many people to be held accountable here, and to get justice will be a long process. But the best way we can preserve Hunter's precious memory is by getting his REAL story out to as many people as possible in order to save other people's lives.



We are writing from our hearts to ask your assistance to make sure that no other family has to endure the personal tragedy that our family was forced to endure. Please help us do that by passing this email on to as many people as possible, whether you know us personally or not.



The Family of Hunter Berry

“THE TRAGIC DEATH OF DAVON GREEN-FRANKLIN”


On March 14, 2010 our son, Davon Green- Franklin drowned while on Spring break in Cancun, Mexico. Davon was a swimmer, but due to a medical emergency that he suffered in the ocean, he was unable to swim to safety. Davon’s friends stated that Davon was fearful as he looked towards the shoreline and did not see anyone arriving to render him aid. One of his friends ran down the beach looking for a life guard. The other two friends helped to keep him above water until he finally slipped under the water due to exhaustion; when they pulled him back up he was unconsciousness. In fact, by the time a life-guard was located, Davon had died. He had been in the water for over three minutes waiting for help to arrive. Davon’s friends shared with me that they were verbally harassed by the authorities while in Cancun, Mexico. They were sent back to round up $600.00 in order to have Davon transported to the nearest hospital. One of the students stated that she felt intimidated by the officers because they showed no immediacy.



In less than thirty minutes of learning of my son’s death, I was a victim of the same sort of harassment. I was called by individual’s that attempted to get my credit card information and checking account routing numbers for medical bills. It was only after carefully listening to these individual’s that I realized that they were attempting to scam me. The doctors at Ameri-Med told us that Davon had been on life-support and that was not the truth. They stated that he was placed in a specialized treatment area, in fact according to a witness; Davon stayed in the same location of the hospital and was never moved to another location. When they were probed by a United States attorney, they scratched out the life-support fees and quickly sent the bill back for payment. The individuals at the hospital were only concerned about their payments. They never offered one moment of sympathy. It would take days before the U.S. Consular in Mexico to even establish contact with my family. Davon’s death was largely attributed to the fact that there were not enough life-guards on the beach nor, were there any rescue devices nearby. Mexico has a blatant disregard for human rights. Davon expected that help would arrive and that he would resume his life as normal instead, we are faced with dealing with a “new normal”. This “new normal” would be a life with our beloved son. Since Davon’s passing we have found out that there were thirty-two United States citizens that died in Mexico for the month of March 2010. There was no way we could have imagined that something so horrific could have happened to our son. We are now dedicating the rest of lives to help make other unsuspecting travelers aware of the hidden dangers of international travel. Davon’s father and I have traveled to several colleges to educate individuals on domestic and international travel safety. Before Davon’s death, he was a vibrant young man with so much potential. We remain proud of Davon and still call him “The Good Son”.



Davon attended Howard University while there; he was a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Incorporated and a member of the Howard University Campus Pals. In his community, he served as a minister and mentor. On May 8, 2010, my husband and I proudly accepted his degree posthumously. We are working with Maureen Webster whose son Nolan Webster also drowned in Cancun, Mexico; she is from Massachusetts and Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA-7) sponsored this bill. Since Davon’s passing, Congressman Elijah Cummings has signed onto this bill. Our response to our son’s death has been to rise up and answer the call to shed light on our son’s story in an effort to save others. The International Travelers Bill of Rights Working Group was founded by Cory L. Scott and I. We are committed to making a difference as we work alongside Maureen Webster.



The Family of Davon Green-Franklin

sorry all, I don't understand how the "quotes" work, hope you understand my response regarding the 5 reported on "Mexicovacationawareness"