After a baby, one-year-old Chloe Wiegand fell to her death on a cruise ship in the seas of Puerto Rico on Sunday, a lot of speculation immediately came out surrounding the case.
There were reports that the grandfather of the little girl, Salvatore Anello, could have criminal charges brought up against him.
However, according to the family, the Indiana man was not responsible for the girl’s death in any way.
The family, including the mother, Kimberley Schultz Wiegand, has instead shifted the blame to the cruise company, Royal Caribbean, claiming that their negligence was the reason for the fatal fall.
It is not clear how this has played out exactly, however, as reports about the incident are still conflicting.
Accusations against the grandfather claim that he was seen holding her near an open window, and at some point, she slipped and fell.
However, other accounts claim that the toddler instead managed to get over the railing in a dedicated children’s play area, something which nobody expected would happen.
Michael Winkleman, the family’s lawyer, explained: “Essentially her grandfather lifts her up and puts her on a railing and where thinks that there is glass there because it’s clear, but it turns out there was no glass there.”
He continued with: “Why in the world would you leave a window open in an entire glass wall of windows in a kids’ area? Why would you have that kind of hidden danger without any warning, without any sign, [or] without any notice? I think there is going to be blame and significant blame on the cruise line and I’m going to do everything I can to hold them accountable for what appears to be negligence.”
UPDATE: "He (grandfather) was literally telling me the story through tears, and he literally thought there was glass there."
The attorney for Chloe Wiegand's family speaks after the cruise ship tragedy. He says this could have been prevented. pic.twitter.com/gi57EJt75d
— Kim Shine (@KimShineCBS58) July 9, 2019
It is still not clear exactly what happened and who was at fault for the tragic incident.
Many eyewitness accounts seem to contradict each other, with various reports claiming that there could be more to the story and that observers do not see the full picture yet.
The family stands by their version, claiming that the grandfather was not at fault in any way.
Royal Caribbean put out a statement about the tragedy, which read: “We are deeply saddened by yesterday’s tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the family. We’ve made our Care Team available to assist the family with any resources they need. Out of respect for their privacy, we do not plan to comment further on the incident.”
Authorities are still investigating the case, but according to reports, they still have not cleared the man of all suspicions, and it is possible that he may still face charges for his alleged actions.
More will likely be revealed once the investigation has concluded.
