Police Confirm Death Of American Visitor

September 19, 2014

Police have confirmed the death of 63 year old American visitor Ruth Birtwell who passed away after experiencing breathing difficulties at Horseshoe Bay Beach yesterday.

A police spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Police Service can now confirm the death of 63 year old Ruth Birtwell of Ashford, Connecticut USA and extends condolences to her family and friends.

“It appears that on the afternoon of Thursday, September 18th Mrs. Birtwell was in an area of shallow water at Horseshoe Bay when a wave knocked her over.

“Apparently afterward she developed breathing difficulties, which a pre-existing medical condition may have contributed to.

“The 63 year old Connecticut resident was rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital via ambulance where she was subsequently pronounced dead at 1:50pm Thursday by an on call doctor. An autopsy is anticipated.”

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Comments (4)

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  1. Glenda says:

    Condolences to her family n friends!

  2. Shari-Lynn Pringle says:

    Tragic. Sincere and heartfelt condolences to Ms. Birtwell’s family and friends.

  3. Just a matter of time says:

    Very tragic indeed. It’s always sad to lose a tourist while they are here on vacation relaxing and enjoying our island. Sincere condolences to her family and loved ones.

  4. Rachel says:

    “Rushed” by ambulance is not the appropriate word………paramedics took 20 minutes to show up and weren’t en route to the hospital for another 25 minutes after that. I am a registered nurse from New York, I tried to help as best as I could, along with 1 or 2 other non-medical staff members that were there at that time, and I have never seen such a lack of medical service and a lack of urgency in my entire career. More training is needed to prevent these types of deaths, whether or not there is a pre-existing medical condition. Training should include bringing appropriate equipment to an emergency, such as a stretcher……my sincere condolences to friends and family, this was a very sad afternoon.