A British tourist died on holiday in Guatemala after stepping on a live electric cable on the roof terrace of his Airbnb, an inquest heard.
Jason Lee, 26, sustained such a shock from the high voltage cable that he was sent plummeting over the edge of the terrace and fell around three storeys to the street below.
An inquest heard the legal adviser, of Bristol, went out to the terrace to look out for friends he was backpacking with and did not notice the thick black cable.
A statement from his girlfriend Hazel May-Blacker, who was inside the property at the time, revealed she heard an ‘almighty bang’ and saw his body fall past the window to the ground.
The couple had been waiting for friends to come and see them for a Christmas meal on December 25 last year and the inquest at Avon Coroner’s Court found his death was a freak accident.
Jason Lee, 26, left, died while backpacking in Guatemala with girlfriend Hazel May-Blacker, 25, right, after he stepped on a high voltage cable on an Airbnb roof terrace
Speaking after the inquest, Ms May-Blacker, 25, paid tribute to her boyfriend, saying she had never fallen in love before she met him.
She said: ‘Jason was the kindest, sweetest man I have ever met.
‘I had never fallen in love or had a serious boyfriend before I met Jason, he has had such a important role in my life.
‘He made anyone who was around him feel good about themselves and was never with out a big happy smile on his face.’
Mr Lee’s father Jacky described his son as ‘happy and determined’.
He added: ‘Jason never gave us any problems. He had a wide-eyed smile and a laugh that we’ll never be able to forget.
‘Jason was connected to many different groups of people including his school friends, university buddies, and mates that he played sports with.
‘He had a warm, gentle, caring heart. He never had anything bad to say about anyone or anything.
‘I think more awareness is needed around the safety of these rented properties, as it seems not a lot of thought was given to the safety.
‘Hopefully, Jason’s ultimate price will help to save someone else.’
The inquest heard that Mr Lee had travelled to Solola in Guatemala to stay with his girlfriend and one of her friends, with all three staying in the same Airbnb.
Mr Lee, pictured with his girlfriend, was thrown over the side of the terrace and fell three storeys to the street below, the inquest heard
Assistant Coroner Dr Peter Harrowing said: ‘She [Hazel] was shown the premises by someone who appeared to be expecting them.
‘She had never stayed there before, but her first impressions gave her no concerns about the safety of their environment.’
The statement continued: ‘There was a rooftop terrace, where they were permitted to relax and sunbathe.
‘The area was closed off by a small white fence. It was not really high enough and it would have been easy to step over.
‘There was a thick black cable running alongside the fence.’
Ms May-Blacker said the couple had made plans for some friends to join them for a Christmas meal on Christmas Day last year.
She asked Jason to keep an eye out for these friends, who would be arriving on foot.
The coroner said: ‘Jason went up to the roof to get a better view, and within minutes Hazel heard an almighty bang.
‘She saw through the window Jason’s body fall to the ground. She screamed and ran out to the street, but it was clear that Jason was already dead.
‘What happened was unclear, but it seemed that he touched a thick black cable and it was live.’
Officers from the National Civil Police attended the scene after hearing from the District Attorney Office department of Solola about a ‘possible deceased person’.
Officers said Mr Lee’s body was found on a public road outside a shop, with his details obtained from his passport, the coroner said.
Witness Anna-Maria Lopez, who lived in the area, reported that the young man had been on the balcony of the third floor of the building.
She said that she had heard a loud noise, and that the body of a male fell into Cemetery Road and died instantly.
Mr Lee’s body was transported to the National Hospital of Solola, and an autopsy found that the possible cause of death was that he had touched a high-voltage cable, which caused him to fall.
Once his body was flown back to the UK, a postmortem was carried out by consultant pathologist Katherine Juranka.
She found ‘large areas’ of irregular vitiligo, or pale white patches, across the left side of Jason’s chest and across his left flank, onto his groin.
Ms May-Blacker, left, paid tribute to Mr Lee, right, and said he was the ‘kindest, sweetest man she had ever met’
She also found marks on his left thigh and left leg, an eight-by-five millimetre blister on his left big toe, and a ten-by-eight millimetre blister on his left fourth finger.
The postmortem showed no internal or external signs of blunt force or traumatic injuries, or any underlying natural disease that may have contributed to Mr Lee’s death.
The pathologist wrote in her report: ‘Distribution of these lesions is highly consistent with skin injuries observed as high-voltage electrocution, and the passage of electrical current across the body.’
Concluding the inquest, Assistant Coroner Dr Peter Harrowing said: ‘It was not witnessed in Guatemala as to what Jason came into contact with.
‘However, it was sufficient to cause him to fall from the balcony onto the floor below.
‘There was an absence of any natural disease or blunt force trauma, and no suggestion that drugs or alcohol played any part in Jason’s sad death.
‘I am satisfied that it is more likely than not that the medical cause of death was one of high voltage electrocution.’
Dr Harrowing recorded the death as accidental.
Before the inquest Jason’s father raised a question with the coroner about whether Airbnb was looking into the incident.
However, the coroner said this was not a question he was able to consider, as the property was rented through Airbnb, but was a private property, and therefore the property would not have been inspected by Airbnb as an organisation.
A spokesman said: ‘We were shocked and deeply saddened to learn about this tragic incident, and we continue to keep Jason’s family, loved ones and friends in our thoughts.
‘The safety of our community is our priority and we have offered our support during this unimaginably difficult time.’
It is understood the property is no longer available through Airbnb.