British man dies after falling down stairs on Canary Islands cruise ship
A British man died after falling down the stairs on a cruise bound for the Canary Islands.
Garth O'Donnell, 73, from Kempston in Bedfordshire, was found at the bottom of a flight of stairs on the Fred Olsen cruise ship bleeding from the nose and ears on Christmas Day.
He had set sail on the Aurora on 21 December but, four days into the trip, he was involved in the accident off the coast of France.
Mr O'Donnell was still conscious and vomiting when he was found. He was taken to the Hôpital de la Cavale Blanche in north west France, where he later died.
According to the Bedfordshire News, his cause of death was listed as "subdural and subarachnoid haemorrhage and a fracture to the base of the skull".
An inquest into his death has been opened and adjourned for full hearing on 30 April 2014.
Related articles
Grandmother died after falling off cruise ship into North Sea
Carnival cruise member crushed to death while working on ship
