Family of a Toddler Who Died In Cruise Ship Fall Speaks Out
Over the weekend, an 18 month old girl named Chloe tragically fell to her death from a cruise ship window as the ship was at harbor in Puerto Rico. The girl’s grandfather, who was holding her just before her fall, is currently under investigation. But in a recent interview the family blames the cruise company for the tragedy.
Chloe fell 11 stories from the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas on Sunday. Initial reports indicated that her grandfather, Indiana resident Salvatore Anello, had been holding her outside the window when he lost his grip. Other reports indicated that he had slipped and fell while holding Chloe. But now the family says that Anello took Chloe to a window, believing that it had glass in it. He apparently wanted to let her bang on the glass as if she were at a hockey game, as she had been known to do.
The family blames Royal Caribbean for the deceptive design of the ship’s window.
For its part Royal Caribbean expressed its condolences, but declined to comment further due to the ongoing investigation.
The incident is calling attention to the under-reported problem of cruise ship falls. Just last week a Carnival Cruise Line crew member fell from the ship on which he worked as the vessel sailed near Cuba. He has not been located.
Attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey and his team handle a wide range of cases, including but not limited to cruise ship accidents, admiralty and maritime accident cases, medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises liability, railroad accidents and car accidents. We represent victims from all over the nation, the world and the state of Florida.