RSSRoyal Caribbean Faces Potential Lawsuit After Fatal Falling Accident
Royal Caribbean International has found itself in trouble once again after an 18-month-old lost her life aboard one of their luxury liners on July 7th after falling eleven stories through an open window to the deck below. The parents of the toddler, Alan and Kimberly Wiegand have subsequently filed a lawsuit against cruise ship giant, opening blaming the company for their daughter’s death.
At the beginning of this month, the Wiegand family, visiting from Granger, Indiana with both sets of grandparents in tow, had just settled in to their cabins aboard the Freedom of the Seas, after flying into Puerto Rico earlier that afternoon. Even though it had been a long day of travel, the extended family headed out to explore the beautiful ship that they’d be calling home for the next seven days.
It was just after 5 o’clock while the ship was still docked at it’s port in San Juan when some of the vacationing Wiegand family members (it is currently unclear as to who all was present at the time of the incident), took a trip to one of the ship’s family-friendly play zones. This specific children’s play area is located on the 11th Floor and is adorned with picturesque windows that provide beautiful views of the interior of the cruise ship. Unbeknownst to Salvatore Anello, the child’s grandfather and person in charge of her at the time of the accident, one of these windows was open. Before he could even realize what had happened, little Chloe had slipped through and was gone.
“We obviously blame them for not having a safer situation on the 11th floor of that cruise ship. There are a million things that could’ve been done to make that safer. I know my mom was asking people, ‘Why on earth is there a window open on the 11th floor without a screen or anything?'” Kimberly Wiegand said during an interview by Today Show host Savannah Guthrie on the early morning news program last week. Royal Caribbean has since issued a response: “We are deeply saddened by this incident, and our hearts go out to the family. We have assisted the authorities in San Juan with their inquiries, and they are the appropriate people to address further questions.”
Cruise ship falling accidents are one of the most common incidents to occur when sailing the seas, and can range from a minor slip-and-fall due to a wet surface, to people falling over railings, or even falling overboard and off the ship itself. Here at the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A., we’d like to extend our deepest condolences to the Wiegand family.
Sources:
- Parents blame Royal Caribbean for toddler’s death after 11-story fall
- A toddler died after falling from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked in Puerto Rico
- Grandfather of toddler in cruise ship death thought window was closed, lawyer says
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.