Indiana toddler Chloe Wiegand's family sues Royal Caribbean after she fell 11 stories to her death from an open window on cruise ship
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA: The family of the Valparaiso man who was charged with homicide after his 18-month-old granddaughter died on a cruise ship has announced it's bringing a lawsuit against the ship's owner.
18-month-old Chloe Weigand died on July 7 after she fell 11 stories from an open window on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship while it was docked in Puerto Rico. Her grandfather Salvatore Anello of Valparaiso—who sat her on the ledge of a cruise ship's window thinking the glass was closed—was charged with homicide.
The Wiegand family is scheduled to hold a press conference at the South Bend Police Department on Wednesday, December 11, where they will announce the lawsuit they are bringing against Royal Caribbean, according to a statement from their attorneys, NWI Times reports.
Michael Winkleman, an attorney at Lipcon, Marguiles, Alsina, and Winkleman, P.A., noted the "family’s primary goal is to continue to raise awareness about window fall dangers and to honor Chloe’s memory by fighting for justice."
Among those slated to speak at the news conference were Winkleman, Kim and Al Wiegand, parents of toddler Chloe Wiegand, and Salvatore Anello, Chloe's grandfather.
Puerto Rican authorities charged the 51-year-old grandfather with negligent homicide on October 28. Prosecutors were handed the ship's security footage of the incident before they issued an arrest warrant for Anello.
Nonetheless, Winkleman said Chloe would still be alive if Royal Caribbean officials had ensured proper safety measures were in place.
"I'm just left wondering why in the world would you have an open window in a wall full of glass, literally right next to a kid's area?" Winkleman previously told NBC News. "The family is really at a loss for words. They are so deeply and utterly devastated by what happened."
Speaking to CBS News on November 25, Anella said he was still in utter disbelief. "I remember trying to find her on the floor and then I saw her fall, I saw her fall, I saw her fall and I was just in disbelief,'' Anello said.
"I was like 'Oh my God.' And I think for a while I was in shock and I was just standing there. ... I thought there was glass. I still say it to myself, it's just, I kind of relive it all the time and I just thought there was glass there. I don't know what else to tell you."
Royal Caribbean officials reportedly told the Wiegands following Chloe's death that the open window was meant for ventilation.
Anello is set to appear in court again on December 17.