British Tourist Killed in ATV Accident in Jamaica – Family Calls for Justice

Ocho Rios, Jamaica – On Thursday, 28th August 2025, our beloved husband, father, brother, and friend, Anthony Hamilton (64), a British national from the United Kingdom, tragically lost his life while on an ATV excursion in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. His wife, Sandra Hamilton, was injured in the same accident.

This was not a “road traffic accident,” as inaccurately reported in sections of the Jamaican press. This was a catastrophic failure of safety standards, emergency response, and duty of care by multiple parties — most notably Blue Adventure Tours, the paramedics, St. Ann’s Police, and the Royalton Negril Hotel.

What Happened

Mr. Hamilton was one of a family group of twelve on an ATV tour organized and operated by Blue Adventure Tours, Ocho Rios.

Only three of the twelve had any prior experience driving ATVs. Despite this, all participants were encouraged to join without licenses or training.

Shockingly, the accident happened within the first five minutes of the excursion. The tour began by forcing a group of mostly first-time riders to drive ATVs up a steep cliffside path while traffic came down in the opposite direction. In hindsight, this was an utterly reckless choice of route. A flat, open field would have been the only safe environment for beginners.

Within minutes of starting, eyewitnesses heard Mr. Hamilton shout that “the brakes are not working” before he and his wife went over a 60-metre cliff. The family believes a mechanical brake failure was the root cause of the crash, yet St. Ann’s Police failed to investigate or even recover the ATV involved.

Blue Adventure Tours provided no meaningful safety briefing, no medical support, and had no trained first aid personnel. Their first aid kit contained only plasters and antiseptic wipes.

The manager of Blue Adventure Tours identified himself only as “Audi.” To this day, the family is not certain if this is his real name, which raises further concerns about transparency and accountability of the company.

Failures That Cost a Life

The failures following the accident were as shocking as the accident itself:

• Blue Adventure Tours staff failed to assist at the scene beyond removing the crashed ATV. Not once did the company reach out to the Hamilton family, visit the hospital, or offer condolences after Anthony’s death.
• The paramedics were catastrophically unprepared. The defibrillator did not work, the oxygen mask was outdated, the monitoring equipment kept falling off, and Anthony was not secured properly, falling from the stretcher multiple times. In desperation, paramedics asked family members to perform CPR.
• The ambulance took almost an hour to arrive, and when it did, it offered little to no effective care. Anthony was still alive when placed into the ambulance, but he was declared dead on arrival at St. Ann’s Bay Hospital.
• The hospital itself was ill-equipped, dirty, and unprepared. Staff were unaware the ambulance was coming, and equipment was old and rusty. Anthony’s body was later left in a janitor’s room overnight, where his daughter sat on the floor beside him while cleaners went in and out collecting supplies.
• Sandra Hamilton, who was herself injured, was left in extreme pain. Despite telling doctors her pain was “9 out of 10,” she was not given pain relief. She was forced to sleep in ripped, dirty clothes from the accident and was offered no basic items such as nightwear, a toothbrush, or soap. When she asked, a nurse told her she would need to provide her own.

Failures of the Police

Perhaps most disturbing of all has been the conduct of St. Ann’s Police:

• Despite eyewitness statements that Mr. Hamilton shouted the brakes had failed, the police have not investigated the ATV or its condition. The vehicle was not even recovered.
• The family provided police with the name and contact of the Blue Adventure Tours’ manager — known only as “Audi” — yet no meaningful action has been taken.
• Local media reports, sourced from the police, falsely described the accident as a “motorbike crash on a public road,” which was completely untrue.
• Even now, Sandra Hamilton, grieving and back in the UK, is facing unnecessary obstacles from St. Ann’s Police to attend the post-mortem and identify her husband’s body, which remains in Jamaica.

The family has reason to believe that Blue Adventure Tours is not properly regulated and that the police may be colluding with the company to cover up their negligence.

Abandonment by the Hotel

Adding further insult to tragedy, the Royalton Negril Hotel, where the Hamiltons were staying, has shown no compassion or support. Staff who recommended Blue Adventure Tours have refused to accept responsibility. Neither the hotel nor the tour operator offered condolences, visited Mrs. Hamilton in hospital, or showed the slightest empathy. Their only concern appeared to be whether the family intended to implicate the hotel.

Our Call for Justice

This tragedy should never have happened. Anthony Hamilton was alive when family members carried him into that ambulance. He died because of negligence, incompetence, and failures at every level.

We, the family, demand:

1. An immediate independent investigation into Blue Adventure Tours and their operations.
2. Accountability from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (St. Ann’s Police) for their mishandling of evidence, misreporting, and failure to investigate mechanical failure as a cause.
3. A full inquiry into Jamaica’s emergency response and hospital conditions, which remain dangerously inadequate for both locals and tourists.
4. International attention from UK authorities to ensure Anthony Hamilton’s death is not swept aside, and that his wife and family receive justice and support.

This is not just about Anthony. This is about preventing another family from enduring the same horror. We will not rest until the truth is told, responsibility is taken, and changes are made.

Signed,
The Family of Anthony Hamilton