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Toddler Death Law Suit Update


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57 minutes ago, akcruz said:

 

I did not say definitively but that I find it very hard to believe.  On the other hand, no I will not go back and find it, at least one said they believe it was intentional.  Yes there are bad people in this world but we do lve in an innocent proven guilty world.  I have seen nothing in any report except for a doting grandfather who made a horrible mistake.  If there was any indication of anything else I don't believe the family would be standing behind him.

 

Put yourself in this families shoes, would you want people on the internet accusing, and yes people are here, of intentionally harming a child within your family.  It took me a  number of times seeing here before commenting.  Yes it is the internet, but we are talking about a small child's death, in my opinion (and yes I realize other don't care about that necessarily) it is not right to be making such accusations with NO evidence that is the case.  

And, there's no evidence that he didn't.  There are people who do horrible things to members of their own family and there are people who make horrible, stupid decisions.  I'm more concerned with the child than I am with the family.  The evidence leans very much towards the fact that negligence occurred at the very least.  The family opened themselves up to this scrutiny by filing a lawsuit and continuing to push it even though it's very evident that the cruise line is not at fault.  

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4 minutes ago, nadinenurse1 said:

If RCI has to pay any $, do you all think they will put up barriers,  change ships ? I love the open areas on sea days so beautiful,  

 

The ship was and is safe for toddlers. 

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I think people are quick to judge because the family put themselves out there by accusing the cruise line of being unsafe and not having enough safety precautions for their passengers. I’ve been on similar ships and have seen those windows.  I am very sorry for their loss. But, I am also irritated that they are not willing to accept their role in what happened. He did it. He dropped her. And, if he didn’t see that it was open, he should have looked more closely.  That is the bottom line. And if I was he daughter, I would expect for him to accept that. As others have said, if the nanny or babysitter had done the same thing, this would be a totally different conversation - especially with the daughter being a lawyer and the son-in-law an officer. 
 

On a side note, I have often looked at Oasis class and thought how nice and open it is from the pool decks. I’ve been on Allure, Harmony and Oasis. So, are we to have 6 foot plexiglass circling the Boardwalk and Central Park areas from those pool and sports decks because someone might lean over and hold their child for a better look. I think that is what Royal is up against if they settle this lawsuit. Where would it end?  It has to stop somewhere and when someone is clearly irresponsible, they (Royal) have to fight it to prevent changes that may be required in the future. 

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4 hours ago, perditax said:

I'd seen the videos but I just noticed this quote from the article linked today:

 

The family has filed a motion seeking to force the cruise line to release video from all 13 cameras

 

Any armchair lawyers want to speculate on why they would do that unless they were sure the other angles would exonerate them somehow? Is it just a bluff? Genuinely asking. When I first came across this stuff a few days ago, the family was quoted as being aghast that any video had been 'leaked' at all. Now they're asking to release it all?

 

The 'release all video' request is the only thing that's made me think twice about the man's guilt. 

 

 

Who in their right mind would want videos released that show their child falling to their death?!?!  Do they not realize those videos will also show the point of impact?!  

 

The "release all video" request only confirms for me that this family is more interested in money than protecting their child's dignity.

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7 minutes ago, hazence said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7922419/Doctor-cruise-ship-recalls-finding-toddlers-body-grandfather-dropped-her.html
 

The pictures in this article seem to support the parents case. I hadn’t 

seen these before with the re-enactment with the doll.


There is a reason for that, the photos are staged by the family’s lawyer. They are trying their best to win the public’s support and tarnish RC at the same time.  

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I don’t blame RCCL...the grandfather is ultimately responsible. But I think these photos support his story that he was confused and not hanging out the window as the previous video did seem to indicate.

 

He will have to live with his mistake forever and that will not be easy.

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20 minutes ago, madiaka said:

I think people are quick to judge because the family put themselves out there by accusing the cruise line of being unsafe and not having enough safety precautions for their passengers. I’ve been on similar ships and have seen those windows.  I am very sorry for their loss. But, I am also irritated that they are not willing to accept their role in what happened. He did it. He dropped her. And, if he didn’t see that it was open, he should have looked more closely.  That is the bottom line. And if I was he daughter, I would expect for him to accept that. As others have said, if the nanny or babysitter had done the same thing, this would be a totally different conversation - especially with the daughter being a lawyer and the son-in-law an officer

 

My last comment on this, there is a big difference, at least to me, in placing blame on the grandfather, he made an unintentional mistake costing his granddaughters life, and accusing the grandfather of intentionally dropping her. 

 

I agree Royal is not to blame and the ships are safe as designed for toddlers, kids, etc and I don't remember seeing anyone on this thread feeling differently.

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6 minutes ago, hazence said:

I don’t blame RCCL...the grandfather is ultimately responsible. But I think these photos support his story that he was confused and not hanging out the window as the previous video did seem to indicate. ...


 Not necessarily.  Remember, the middle section of windows slants out - the bottom is closer to the rail, where it is incrementally farther from rail the higher you go up.    So, the lawyer reenactment tries to show the persons head at a very wide point away from the railing.     It appears that If the lawyer actor remained with feet flat on floor, and leaned on the rail, the bottom of middle section would have been much closer to the opening.     This does look staged for the widest gap out to window for the defense’s benefit, as you can imagine. 
 

 

 

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They lost my sympathy literally hours after it happened when they tried to claim it happened within a kids area. 

Well they looked a little silly when all you can see is a bar...

 

And their "there was no sign" argument is getting old. If there was a sign on the window, you wouldn't see it, because the window was open. If there was a sign anywhere else they would be arguing that it wasnt visible if you were standing at the open window...

 

At the end of the day, if he hadn't lifted her up, she would still be here. RC didnt lift her up to the window, and RC didnt force him to lift her up to the window. 

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51 minutes ago, hazence said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7922419/Doctor-cruise-ship-recalls-finding-toddlers-body-grandfather-dropped-her.html
 

The pictures in this article seem to support the parents case. I hadn’t 

seen these before with the re-enactment with the doll.

 

The Daily Mail isn't exactly known for high end journalism.

 

The article suggests the man in the reenactment was the same height and stature as Anello, which I have a hard time believing. In the video posted, Anello's entire upper body disappears when he arrives at the window which demonstrates he was able to lean forward.  Furthermore, had the man in the reanactment extended his arms, he'd have been able to dangle the doll out the window.   

 

The family is grasping at straws.

 

 

   

 

 

 

Edited by lovemylab
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The video shows the GF leaning over the railing while holding the little girl. If the little girl was on the inside of the window ledge when he dropped her, she would have fallen between the railing and the window. He obviously held her at a dangerous length. If his body was up against the railing, his arms could very well have been extended over the window while he was leaning.

 

I read somewhere that he may have seen a plane or something out the window and held her up to see it too. That sounds like a pretty good guess as to why he did it. Better than him being color blind, not knowing the window was open. He knew it was open. He leaned over the railing before he even lifted her up. 

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47 minutes ago, nadinenurse1 said:

Article was inflammatory and enfruating  “elderly colorblind gf” What the hell , he is 51.. How does color blind mean any thing 

It doesn't.  As anyone who is colorblind will tell you they can't differentiate some colors (or most if severe), but they can tell the difference in dark vs light, tint, etc.  Colorblind is not an excuse.  My boss is colorblind and can't tell if his tie was blue or black, but he can tell you if a window is open.  He asked me yesterday if the tie he had matched his jacket and slacks (all blue) because he couldn't tell, but that's the extent of it.  Anello is 51 and he's the step grandfather.  I don't think he helped raise the mother so in reality, he's the grandmother's husband.  They keep pushing the grandfather angle because of course a grandfather wouldn't do anything like that.  But, as we all know, plenty of kids have been hurt or killed by family members.  Anyone who automatically thinks he's suffering enough has no clue because no one but he knows how he's feeling or what his reasoning or intentions were.  He doesn't automatically get a pass because he's the grandfather.  There are too many lies and distractions being used by the family now.  The court of public opinion isn't on their side anymore.  

Edited by BND
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In one news article it stated the grandfather was going to put her on the railing so she could bang on the glass.

 

Which railing?  The one that is far from the window, or the small ledge that holds the window pane?

 

Either way he should of had a firm grip on her, because even with the window closed, neither railing would support the girl and movements of a toddler.

 

Most likely the little girl was looking out the window, probably to see something below and he wanted to give her a better view.

 

Why are the parents accusing RC of lying about leaning out the window, when their lawsuit states that the window is in the children's play area, which it is not.

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23 minutes ago, hazence said:

image.jpeg.5cb45fc89c69648223e1a50af3a6e575.jpeg


so, was GF reaching her over wooden railing, to stand her on the aluminum/metal window sill, to get a better view?   She’d have been right at the opening then.   I can’t imagine anyone putting a child in such a dangerous position.   Horrible. 
 

we cruised on Freedom class last March with Extended family like theirs - grandparents, adult parents, 4 grandkids (10-13 years old).  Everyone had cruised before, and we still made a point to go over rules in the terminal waiting to board.   “No leaning over balcony or windows, no climbing on railings, no running or jumping down steps, etc.”. Common sense, and it was for the benefit of the grandkids, but the grandparents also heard the rules.    
 

If this family had done the same, then both sets of Grandparents would also have heard, and little Chloe would most likely still be with her family.  

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I don’t know that this is about money.
 

I think this is about...family.

 

This family does not want to believe that this was the fault of the grandfather that they clearly love and respect. They also know that he loved this child just as they did....which makes it even harder to understand why he wasn’t more protective.  They can’t accept that he would be so careless with a child they adored and that they know HE adored as well. So, the fault MUST lie elsewhere.
 

If they blame him, then they essentially have lost TWO family members, because it would be tough to forgive him and reconcile that he was at fault for their pain and grief. At this point, that may be too much for them to reconcile. 
 

So blaming RCCL will do for now. 

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2 minutes ago, hazence said:

I don’t know that this is about money.
 

I think this is about...family.

 

This family does not want to believe that this was the fault of the grandfather that they clearly love and respect. They also know that he loved this child just as they did....which makes it even harder to understand why he wasn’t more protective.  They can’t accept that he would be so careless with a child they adored and that they know HE adored as well. So, the fault MUST lie elsewhere.
 

If they blame him, then they essentially have lost TWO family members, because it would be tough to forgive him and reconcile that he was at fault for their pain and grief. At this point, that may be too much for them to reconcile. 
 

So blaming RCCL will do for now. 

Because of this, I can’t imagine that they still want to see all of the videos. The phrase - be careful what you ask for, you just might get it - comes to mind. 

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So the family's contention (or should I say their lawyer's) is that there shouldn't be windows on a glassed in area of a cruise ship that sails into the hottest part of the Americas?  Or is it, there should be a warning that putting things out of a window can result in said objects being dropped?  Warning: Sticking objects into moving lawnmower blades can cause injury

I just don't see the angle here other than the obvious.....$

I wonder if they were in a balcony cabin and what their take is on that obvious hazard.

I have tremendous sympathy for this family but I serious question the scruples of the attorney that talked them into this path.

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