A tragic incident occurred as a young British head chef lost his life by drowning after accidentally falling into the water at a French port following a night out with colleagues on a superyacht, according to details revealed in an inquest.
The victim, identified as Flinn Sessions, a 22-year-old individual from Wimborne, Dorset, had been part of the crew on the Atlantico for a duration of two months. The incident took place on June 9, 2023, when the yacht was docked at La Ciotat near Marseille.
During the inquest held at Bournemouth Coroner’s Court, it was disclosed that Flinn had been socializing with fellow crew members and other yacht workers, visiting various bars where he was observed consuming alcoholic beverages before the unfortunate accident occurred.
According to reports from Somerset Live, Coroner Brendan Allen mentioned that Flinn’s friends had requested the waiter to stop serving him alcohol at a certain point during the evening.
CCTV footage displayed Flinn leaning against a bollard on the quayside in the early hours of the morning before accidentally falling into the water and swimming towards the back of the yacht. Tragically, Flinn was discovered deceased in the water later that morning, with post-mortem examinations carried out in France and the UK confirming his cause of death as drowning.
Concluding that Flinn’s demise was the result of an accident, Mr. Allen stated, “While socializing with friends and colleagues, he had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol. On returning to the Atlantico in the early hours of 9th June, he fell into the water from the quayside and sadly drowned.”
Mr. Allen further added, “From the fact the CCTV clearly shows Flinn was alone at the time he suffered the fall from the quayside, he wasn’t suffering any ill health and this was clearly not something he intended to happen, Flinn died as the consequence of an accident so that will be the conclusion that I will record.”