SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A year later, a heartbroken widow is on a mission.
Last November, we spoke with Lorrie Votrian, whose 32nd wedding anniversary in Turks and Caicos turned into a nightmare during a snorkeling trip, leading to the death of her husband.
Now, we follow through with a look at a just-filed lawsuit and her hopes for industry-wide change.
“My plan was to be with him forever," said Lorrie.
For Lorrie Votrian, the past year has been a blur of grief and disbelief.
"It's been difficult, sorry," said a tearful Lorrie.
The difficult time started on a beautiful day. Video shows the couple on a snorkeling tour, bound for a reef off Turks and Caicos, east of Cuba. Minutes later, the catamaran dropped anchor. Lorrie says that one of two crew members told her husband he could get a head start since he brought his own gear. She says minutes later, a tourist pointed to a person in the water, face down and motionless. It was her husband.
“I started screaming his name, screaming," said Lorrie in the 2023 interview.
That was Lorrie speaking to me a year ago. She says a fellow tourist jumped in and got her husband before performing CPR and teaching other tourists so they could help.
She says it would be some 25 minutes before they were back on shore and getting medical attention. Votrian would die at the hospital. An autopsy confirmed the healthy Votrian's cause of death was drowning.
Lorrie says she and her husband, a master diver, were preparing to renew their vows for their 32nd wedding anniversary.
"When someone that close to you dies, your whole life is gone too," said Lorrie. “I believe his life could have been saved."
Last week, Lorrie filed a lawsuit against the Turks and Caicos-based tour company.
According to the claims in the complaint, none of the crew noticed Votrian was in distress, the boat had no medical equipment like a defibrillator, and none of the crew were CPR trained.
"It's frustrating, really frustrating," said Lorrie.
Lorrie's attorney, Jessica Anderson, says safety standards usually aren't top of mind for tourists on snorkeling and other tours, but they should be.
“Calling and asking questions. Asking about training, asking about medical equipment... Oftentimes, better going with a larger resort, which has more policies they are probably following," said Lorrie.
Lorrie says the "what if" questions are never far from her mind. She hopes her lawsuit will lead to industry-wide change when it comes to safety.
“I hope something comes from this tragedy to help other tourists and other people," said Lorrie.
