Royal Caribbean is blaming a “reckless and irresponsible” grandfather in the death of an 18-month-old toddler who fell 11 stories while on their ship last summer, according to the Indianapolis Star newspaper.
Salvatore Anello was playing with his granddaughter, Chloe Wiegand, in the “Kids Water Zone” of the Freedom of the Seas ship when he lifted her up and out of the 11th-story window he knew to be open, the cruise ship alleged in a motion to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed by Chloe’s family in Florida.
“His actions, which no reasonable person could have foreseen, were reckless and irresponsible and the sole reason why Chloe is no longer with her parents,” the cruise line stated.
The Wiengand family had sued the cruise line after Chloe’s death in July, arguing the company failed to protect Chloe and other vacationers from potentially dangerous open windows.
Anello has denied knowing the window was open — insisting he had picked up Chloe so she could bang on the glass as she would at her older brother’s hockey games.
But Royal Caribbean is claiming it has footage from two security cameras that show Anello held Chloe outside of the window for about 34 seconds.
The Weingand family’s attorney Michael Winkleman, issued a statement to CBS News calling Royal Caribbean’s motion “baseless and deceptive.”
Winkelman called for the cruise line to release additional views from what he said were 13 cameras in the area.
“It is clear that Royal Caribbean’s tactic is to blame Chloe’s grandfather rather than to accept that Royal Caribbean did not implement industry standards for toddler safety aboard its ships which ultimately led to Chloe’s tragic death,” Winkleman said in a statement.
“Royal Caribbean has premised its defense in this case and its blame on Chloe’s grandfather by supplying two deceptive views from its CCTV cameras to the court and the Puerto Rico authorities.”
Anello is also facing criminal charges in Puerto Rico, where prosecutors have charged him with negligent homicide in his granddaughter’s death.
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January 19, 2020 at 11:19AM
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Royal Caribbean blames 'reckless' grandfather in death of toddler Chloe Wiegand - New York Post
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