Wiegand Family Reportedly Suing Royal Caribbean for Falling Death of Infant Daughter

As Salvatore Anello awaits trial in Puerto Rico for the death of his granddaughter Chloe Wiegand, Chloe’s family prepares its suit against Royal Caribbean.

Chole fell to her death from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship over the summer when her grandfather held her up to the window and accidentally allowed her to fall through. The Wiegand family contends that Anello, thinking that the window was closed, was attempting to allow Chloe to bang on the glass as she had done before at hockey games. But the window was open and Chloe fell through it, 11 stories to her death.  

After Chloe’s death, Anello was arrested by authorities in Puerto Rico and charged with negligent manslaughter, and he is currently awaiting trial. But the Wiegand family blames Royal Caribbean for the tragedy, citing the fact that a window that far up in the ship should not have been open, especially without a warning of the danger. 

The Wiegand family is now suing Royal Caribbean, claiming that the tragedy was wholly preventable. The Wiegands claim that Chole’s fall could have been prevented if the ship had been fitted with windows that met fall prevention codes. The family’s attorney told NBC News that many companies’ ships have already been fitted with the updated windows, including Carnival, Norwegian, and newer Royal Caribbean ships.

Despite the report of the suit, Royal Caribbean declined to comment about a potential suit to NBC News on Wednesday, saying that it had not been served with a lawsuit.