A dad-of-three drowned in a hot tub while on holiday with his family in North Wales, an inquest was told.
Ian William Foden's death was described as nothing short of a "terribly tragic accident". Mr Foden, from Speke, had come to Prestatyn with his wife Donna and other family members in September 2022.
The holiday had been arranged to celebrate Mrs Foden's birthday, and the group had rented out a property on Beverley Drive in the Welsh seaside town.
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At a resumed inquest hearing in Ruthin County Hall, assistant coroner for North Wales Kate Sutherland said that Mr Foden had been to the beach and drunk pints of beer at a local pub on the second day of their North Wales getaway before returning to the rented property on September 24.
It was there he and his wife enjoyed a dip in the hot tub. After about 20 minutes of relaxing together, Mrs Foden got out at about 5pm. Her 56-year-old husband said "I can't" when she asked if he'd also get out with her.
She set off a short while later to get the family some tea from a nearby fish and chip shop as Karen Burns, Mrs Foden's sister, stayed behind and periodically kept an eye on Ian who was still in the hot tub alone at about 5.10pm.
It was said that roughly 20 minutes later, Mr Foden was found face-down in the tub and unresponsive. A neighbour living next to the holiday home helped Ms Burns to pull him out of the tub and emergency services were called for help, Wales Online reports.
Despite their best efforts, the dad-of-three was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6.45pm.
A post mortem was conducted, on the coroner's orders, and the only thing of note was some froth in Mr Foden's lungs. Ms Sutherland told the family that this is a typical indicator that someone who drowned had to have inhaled some water.
Mrs Foden provided a statement to the inquest that said her husband's death has “left a huge hole in the lives of everyone who loved him”. Her husband, an avid Liverpool supporter, had trained as an engineer and had a love of DIY.
Ms Sutherland agreed with the medical cause of death being drowning due to alcohol intoxication. She went on to reach a conclusion that Mr Foden died as a result of a "terribly tragic accident" and offered his family at the inquest her sincere condolences.
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