IN-Grandfather charged cruise ship death of Chloe Wiegand MEDIA TIMELINE NO DISCUSSION

[oviedo]

Grandfather of toddler who died after falling from cruise ship window charged with negligent homicide
Snipped
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A grandfather who police say dropped his young granddaughter from the 11th floor of a cruise ship docked in Puerto Rico in July has been accused of negligent homicide.


A judge on Monday ordered the arrest of Salvatore Anello after prosecutors submitted evidence and said the 18-month-old girl fellwhen he raised her up to an open window.

An attorney for the family has said Chloe Wiegand asked her grandfather to lift her up so she could bang on the glass in a children’s play area. He blamed the cruise ship company for leaving the window inexplicably open.

 

[oviedo]

Search - enter name

Indiana Supreme Court public access case search - MyCase

 

[oviedo]

Grandfather charged in death of granddaughter who fell from cruise ship
Snipped
A grandfather who police say dropped his young granddaughter from the 11th floor of a cruise ship docked in Puerto Rico in July has been accused of negligent homicide. A judge on Monday ordered the arrest of Salvatore Anello after prosecutors submitted evidence and said the 18-month-old Chloe Wiegand fell when he raised her up to an open window.

 

[oviedo]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/heavy.com/news/2019/07/chloe-wiegand/amp/

“According to officials in the U.S. territory, Chloe Wiegand was 18 months old at the time of her death. She had been on a family vacation with her parents, two siblings, and two sets of grandparents. The tragedy occurred on board the Freedom of the Seas ship at the Panamerican dock on July 7. The family hails from Indiana. They had boarded the ship in Puerto Rico. It had been due to depart at 8:30 p.m. local time on the day of the tragedy. Wiegand fell to her death at around 5 p.m.”

 

[oviedo]

Royal Caribbean's guest conduct policy, last revised Nov 2018 prior to the incident. The policy that all guests receive a copy of clearly states on the top of Page 2:

"Unsafe Behavior: Sitting, standing, lying or climbing on, over or across any exterior or interior railings or other protective barriers, or tampering with ship’s equipment, facilities or systems designed for guest safety is not permitted. Guests may not enter or access any area that is restricted and for the use of crew members. Any other unsafe behavior, including failure to follow security instructions, is not permitted

 

[oviedo]

 

[oviedo]

Anello was being held on an $80,000 bond, according to ABC News, but the 51-year-old has since been released. He is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 20, CNN reported.

 

[oviedo]

Parents of Chloe Wiegand stand by her grandfather after he is charged in her death | Daily Mail Online

• • Parents Kimberly, 36, and Alan Wiegand, 41, plan to sue the liner for 'inexplicably' leaving a window open in a family play area
  • Family lawyer Michael Winkleman suggested Puerto Rican authorities may have 'ulterior motives' for charging Anello instead of blaming the cruise line
  • He told DailyMail.com the family understands 'that it was an accident and that [Anello] thought this was a wall of windows'
  • Winkleman added: 'What surprised me is that there was an effort to try to have this case go forward in an effort to try to help Royal Caribbean

 

[oviedo]

Cruise ship death: Charging grandfather of toddler who fell from window "pouring salt" on family's wounds, attorney says - CBS News
"They find it unnecessary and unfair, and it's really pouring salt on the open wounds of this grieving family," said Michael Winkleman, an attorney for the family.
The Weigands say the 18-month-old loved banging on the glass at her brother's hockey games. That's why her grandfather sat her on a wooden rail in front of what he apparently thought was a wall of enclosed glass windows...."

 

[oviedo]

Freedom of the Seas Deck Plans, Diagrams, Pictures, Video


H2O Zone Pictures

 

[oviedo]

Attorney: Girl fell to death from open window on cruise ship
Snipped
Police in Puerto Rico had said Monday that Chloe Wiegand apparently slipped from her grandfather’s hands Sunday as he was holding her out of an 11th-floor window on the Freedom of the Seas.

 

[oviedo]

Grandfather Charged With Negligent Homicide In Toddler's Cruise Ship Death
Snipped
A judge in Puerto Rico ordered the arrest of Salvatore Anello on Monday after prosecutors submitted evidence saying that Chloe Wiegand fell from Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas cruise ship when Anello raised her to an open window on the docked ship.

Anello was released from custody in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan on an $80,000 bond, a spokeswoman for Puerto Rico's justice department said Tuesday. He is due to appear in court there on Nov. 20, and it wasn't immediately clear if he would be allowed to return home in the meantime.

Attorney Michael Winkleman said in a statement that the child's death was "a tragic accident," and that the family, who is from the northern Indiana community of Granger, will be filing a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean "very soon."

Winkleman has said that Chloe fell through an open 11th-story window on July 7 after she had asked her grandfather to lift her up so she could bang on the glass in a children's play area. He's blamed the cruise ship operator for leaving the window open.

 

[oviedo]

: Chloe Wiegand: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

...“Port Authority spokesman Jose Carmona told CNN that the girl was in the dining hall playing with her grandfather on deck 11 of the ship when the tragedy occurred. Carmona said one window pane to the hall was open and Wiegand’s grandfather sat the girl in the window. He lost his balance which caused Wiegand to fall. Carmona said, “Sadly, she died on impact.”...

 

[oviedo]

Muere niña al caer de crucero en San Juan
Se investigan las circunstancias en las que ocurrieron los hechos

(teresa.canino@gfrmedia.com)

Maribel Hernández Pérez

7/7/2019 | 08:01 p.m.

Las autoridades continúan esta noche con la investigación del trágico incidente en el que una menor de año y medio falleció tras caer del undécimo piso del crucero Freedom of the Seas, de la empresa Royal Caribbean, atracado en el muelle Panamericano II en San Juan.

Los hechos fueron reportados a las 4:27 p.m., confirmó la Oficina de Prensa del Negociado de la Policía.

“Es una familia estadounidense donde el abuelo asoma la niña por una ventana… la niña cae al precipicio y muere… En estos momentos (la División de) Homicidios está en el lugar; no se ha podido entrevistar a la familia. Es una escena muy fuerte, muy lamentable y trágica… en un momento dado, uno de sus abuelos, al parecer, en un acto de juegos, expone a la niña hacia el vacío y se le cae de las manos”, detalló consternado el secretario del Departamento de Seguridad Pública, Elmer Román.
IN - Grandfather charged in cruise ship death of toddler Chloe Wiegand
Translation

 

[oviedo]

Muere niña al caer de crucero en San Juan

The facts were reported at 4:27 pm, confirmed the Press Office of the Police Bureau.

“It is an American family where the grandfather shows the girl through a window… the girl falls to the precipice and dies… At the moment (the Division of) Homicides is in place; The family could not be interviewed. It is a very strong scene, very unfortunate and tragic ... at one point, one of his grandparents, it seems, in an act of games, exposes the girl to the void and falls from his hands, ”said the secretary in dismay of the Department of Public Security, Elmer Román.

 

[oviedo]

The Sun:

Police in Puerto Rico have a copy of a video from the interior of the ship showing the fatal fall - and offered to show it to Chloe's parents but the couple were too distraught to view the distressing footage.

Instead they asked for a copy - but cops refused.

'CRITICAL EVIDENCE'
"One of the hold ups in our investigation is that Royal Caribbean have not provided us with CCTV footage of the incident which is the most critical piece of evidence," Winkleman explained.

"At this point they've outright refused to produce the video.

"We definitively know there is footage of the incident from the interior of the ship because the police in Puerto Rico wanted to show it to the family but not surprisingly the mom and dad were not willing or ready to watch it at that point.

"They asked for a copy of it but the police would not give it to them.
Cruise tot's family furious after firm 'refuses' to hand over CCTV of death fall

 

[oviedo]

Grandfather charged in death of granddaughter who fell from cruise ship

 

[oviedo]

Safety & Security onboard Our Cruises | Royal Caribbean Cruises

"All of our ships are designed and operated in compliance with the strict requirements of the International Maritime Organization, the UN agency that sets global standards for the safety and operation of cruise ships, codified in the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention. Safety-related regulations are rigorous – and we often go above and beyond what is required; for example, carrying backup mechanical, navigational and safety provisions.

In addition, our vessels, regardless of where they sail in the world, comply with the U.S. Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA) requirements, including railing heights, access control, closed circuit TV, medical preparedness, crime allegation reporting and crew training. Our own requirements generally exceed those specified within the CVSSA. We work closely with regulatory authorities to improve safety laws, and regularly participate in discussions and studies to inform legislators of current practices and offer our perspective on regulations and standards to assure safety.

Flag State authorities and other maritime safety regulatory bodies, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, from each country our ships visit also regularly inspect our ships. Their examinations focus on life-saving equipment and safety and environmental protection items and these officials have the authority to prevent our ships from sailing if we fail to adhere to regulations. In addition to these inspections, ongoing system of internal as well as external (independent) marine expert audits also helps us remain vigilant, safely
...
https://www.congress.gov/111/plaws/publ207/PLAW-111publ207.pdf


International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974

 

[oviedo]

People article.

"Winkleman tells PEOPLE the family is preparing a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean but have not yet filed it because they have not yet accessed the CCTV footage that shows Chloe falling out the window.

He says “there are safety regulations that exist regarding windows to prevent children from falling out.”

“If you’re going to not follow those regulations, put a warning on the windows,” he adds."

 

[oviedo]

‘Double devastation’: When kids die by accident, should caregivers be charged?

A grandfather's arrest after a toddler in his care plummeted to her death off a cruise ship highlights the intricacies of negligence cases, experts say.

Chloe Wiegand's family has no doubt her death was a horrific accident. They harbor no blame against her grandfather, Salvatore "Sam" Anello, who was with the toddler when she fell out of an 11th story window on a Royal Caribbean cruise in July.

But prosecutors — who on Monday arrested Anello on charges of negligent homicide — see the case differently. The charges, experts say, highlight a legal gray area: Should caregivers be held criminally responsible if a tragedy that was truly accidental resulted in the loss of a child's life?...