EXCLUSIVE
One of the victims of a mass cocktail poisoning at a five-star resort in Fiji has sensationally revealed her ordeal, accusing the local government of failing to release her toxicology results.
American Jill Juarez was one of six tourists who were rushed to hospital in critical condition on December 14 after drinking contaminated piña coladas at Warwick Resort on the country’s Coral Coast.
All of the sick guests, including four Australians, were discharged from hospital, and the Fijian government failed to explain what caused the mystery illness, but ruled that the drinks did not contain methanol or any illicit substances.
Now Ms Juárez has spoken out online after becoming frustrated with the response from local authorities who she says have not “given her answers”.
Juarez testified that she and the four Australian women only had one drink at the hotel’s adult pool bar before becoming seriously ill.
“I was in Sigatoka hospital for 24 hours and then taken by ambulance to Lautoka hospital to stay for another 24 hours,” he said.
“I received intravenous NaCl after IV, morphine and other drugs while I was unconscious and lost, unable to even walk to the bathroom on my own, experiencing alternating states of tingling or extreme numbness throughout my body (I couldn’t even hold a water bottle in my arms). my mouth to drink), extreme nystagmus (eye twitches) causing inability to focus or see clearly, confusion, nausea, massive, uninterrupted heart palpitations (tachycardia), and borderline seizures.
“A mother nearly died when she was intubated in front of her also poisoned teenage daughter and the rest of us, then induced into a medical coma.”
Jill Juarez (pictured) fell seriously ill after drinking piña coladas at a five-star resort in Fiji.
Six people, four of them Australian, were hospitalized after drinking cocktails poolside at the Warwick Fiji resort (pictured), in the south of the main island of Fiji, on Saturday, December 14.
Juarez said she began experiencing symptoms around 4 p.m., but police did not interview her until more than nine hours later.
She said she has yet to receive her personal blood and urine toxicology results from any of the hospitals she attended and, despite repeatedly calling the police, they have yet to contact her.
He added that it seemed strange that officials were so quick to rule out that the drinks did not contain methanol or drugs, but have been unable to shed light on what really happened.
‘It’s been 11 days. I contacted the police officer who interviewed me twice and he ignored me. “There is no way it should take this long,” he said.
“It seems that once the toxicology results for Warwick’s ‘selected samples of pina colada and/or alcohol mixture’ were released showing there was no methanol, people were quick to move on.
‘Those results were made public four days after this happened, and even those samples were sent to Australia for analysis. Why are we still waiting for our personal results, which I’m told are in a lab in Fiji?
Juarez said she is concerned about the long-term impacts of her ordeal, as exposure to toxins could cause neurological problems, organ damage and blindness.
She said “not a single person” from authorities who were initially interested in talking to her, including police and resort staff, have reached out to see how she is doing or offer help.
Five of the victims have since been discharged, including a mother and daughter from Sydney who returned home on Monday night (pictured: tourists could be seen enjoying drinks at the pool bar on Monday).
One of the poolside bars at the Warwick resort, which has been in business for 40 years.
She added that she made repeated efforts to try to speak to Warwick management to discuss a possible refund for the multiple nights of accommodation they missed, only to be misled by a security guard who “interrogated” her for an hour and “insinuated” that I drank too much.
Juárez said the entire experience has left her “beyond angry, scared, frustrated and sad.”
‘WHO is helping ME? Where is the compassion and empathy towards ME and other women? And for my boyfriend, who had to endure this horrible experience while watching us all suffer, cry and scream for help and be told by a doctor that “some of these women may not survive”? she said.
‘And how would you feel if your daughter or sister was on an island in the middle of nowhere on what should have been a beautiful, relaxing holiday and you got a call at 3 in the morning telling you she might die?
“Ask my elderly parents and my sister, they had to experience that and the anxiety they now suffer is real.”
Ms. Juarez also responded to online speculation that those who were hospitalized may have had food poisoning or consumed alcohol elsewhere before, saying she “did not drink kava, eat seafood or drink anywhere else.” .
He said the way the media, police and hospitals have handled the case has been “unacceptable” and said he has consulted with an attorney as he tries to gain access to his lab results.
‘I’m not saying unequivocally that someone at the Warwick ‘intentionally’ poisoned our drinks… I promise, I’m not implying that. But SOMETHING happened,’ he said.
An Australian woman and her daughter are seen loaded into an air ambulance last week after being hospitalized in Fiji.
The woman was helped up and down the plane’s stairs at both ends of her trip Wednesday.
‘I have consulted with an attorney and, if necessary, will pursue this to the fullest extent, beginning with obtaining a subpoena for my personal lab results. That’s the LEAST they owe me.
‘I also have an appointment with my doctor in the US for a full lab analysis including nail and hair follicle tests which will show ANY toxins that have been in my system over the last 90 days.
“The truth will come out one way or another.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Warwick Resort for comment.
The allegations come after the last two Australians, a 49-year-old woman and her 18-year-old daughter, were flown home on Thursday night in a secret medical evacuation operation.
An entourage of cars transported the 49-year-old mother to the charter flight at Nadi International Airport on Wednesday afternoon after spending four days in intensive care at Lautoka hospital.
An entourage of cars transported the 49-year-old mother to the chartered flight at Nadi International Airport on Wednesday afternoon after spending four days in intensive care at Lautoka hospital.
Shortly after the air ambulance left Fiji, Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka declared that Warwick’s six guests had not been affected by methanol poisoning, as had initially been speculated.
Tanya Sandoe, 56, and her daughter Georgia Sandoe-Simpson, 19, are pictured returning home Dec. 16 after also being hospitalized for the mass poisoning.
“I can confirm that no illicit substances or methanol were found in the ingredients or liquor samples,” Mr Gavoka said.
‘All affected tourists and locals have already been discharged and have fully recovered. This is a significant relief.
“No tourist wants to end their vacation sick and we are sorry that their vacation ended like this.”
The mother and daughter arrived in Australia two days after Sydney teenager Georgia Sandoe-Simpson, 19, and her mother Tanya Sandoe, were released from hospital and flown home on Monday.
While no alternative reason for the tourists’ illness was revealed, the deputy prime minister indirectly shared a conspiracy theory that bad press from the incident had been fueled by a competing tourist destination.
‘I would like to assure you that this incident has been located at a hotel. There has been no reason to link this incident to others,” Gavoka said at a news conference.
‘In the meantime, I would like to tell everyone that it is safe to come to Fiji. We also need to find out who had been spreading that negative press about Fiji as a destination.
‘Are they competitors of our tourism?’
At the time, Fiji police promised to continue investigating the cause of the mass poisoning; however, it has not yet made the findings public.
“The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation views the recent incident as a learning experience,” said Mr Gavoka.
“We will further collaborate with our marketing division, Fiji Tourism, the Fiji Hotels and Tourism Association and the Fiji Police Force to ensure Fiji remains a safe destination for tourists.”
“The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation views the recent incident as a learning experience,” said Mr Gavoka.
“We will further collaborate with our marketing division, Fiji Tourism, the Fiji Hotels and Tourism Association and the Fiji Police Force to ensure Fiji remains a safe destination for tourists.”
Daily Mail Australia previously revealed that a friend of one of the victims claimed Warwick staff asked her to sign a compensation form and refunded her $160.
Meanwhile, Warwick Resort management insists the accommodation is safe for guests.
Bottles of Bounty rum, the main ingredient in the pina coladas served, have been sent for testing.
“It has not expired from our batch,” said human resources director Nitin Goundar.
“We will review the CCTV footage.”