Months after Chloe Weigand fell 11 stories out of an opened window of a cruise ship, her parents will file a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean.
As Mamas Uncut previously reported, 18-month-old Chloe Weigand and her family were on vacation when Weigand’s maternal grandfather, Salvatore Anello, held his granddaughter up to one of the windows of the cruise ship.
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Wiegand’s family explained that windows covered much of the wall on that level on the cruise ship. However, what Anello didn’t realize was that the window he and his granddaughter were standing in front of was opened.
When Wiegand went to put her hands on the glass of the window that was opened she slipped from her grandfather’s grip and fell 11 stories to the deck below. Wiegand did not survive.
Months after the toddler’s tragic passing, Anello was charged with negligent manslaughter and arrested on October 28. However, Wiegand’s parents do not want to see Anello punished for what had happened.
As the family’s attorney Michael Winkleman told WISH-TV, the charges are like salt in an already deep wound. “These criminal charges are pouring salt on the open wounds of this grieving family. Clearly this was a tragic accident and the family’s singular goal remains for something like this to never happen again…”
Wiegand Family to Sue Royal Caribbean
Now, as the South Bend Tribune reports, Winkleman held a press conference on December 11 on behalf of the Wiegand family to announce their decision to sue Royal Caribbean.
According to Winkleman, the purpose of the news conference is “to continue to raise awareness about window fall dangers and to honor Chloe’s memory by fighting for justice.” The lawsuit will be a wrongful death case against the cruise line for “the failure to have windows that are compliant with the well-established window fall prevention codes.”
In a response, Royal Caribbean told People in a statement, “Our hearts go out to the family for their tragic loss. Mr. Salvatore Anello is currently being criminally prosecuted for negligent homicide in the case. We have no comment on the civil filing.”
The lawsuit is likely to be filed on Tuesday, December 17.
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