Re: Grandfather Pleads Guilty in Death of GD Dropp... - Page 5

sunshine45 · ‎03-09-2010

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico —

A grandfather who pleaded guilty to negligent homicide in the fall of his young granddaughter from an 11th-story window of a cruise ship docked in Puerto Rico was sentenced Monday to three years' probation, according to justice officials.

Salvatore "Sam" Anello, of Valparaiso, Indiana, had pleaded guilty in the case in October 2020. Defense attorney Michael Winkleman has said Anello would serve probation in his home state.

Anello was aboard the Royal Caribbean Cruises' Freedom of the Seas ship with family in July 2019 when the death occurred. He has said he did not know the window in the children's play area was open and that he lifted 18-month-old Chloe Wiegand up to it so she could knock on the glass as she had done at her brother's hockey games.

via WBAL TV NEWS

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"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

GrailSeeker · ‎12-01-2012

This was a case I was following closely in the beginning. I saw a People magazine article online last night that had a bit of information I had not seen elsewhere. I do believe that People is not entirely accurate at all times, but this is what it said:

"Following Anello's sentencing, the Anellos' attorney Michael Winkleman claimed in a statement obtained PEOPLE that "the genesis of the Puerto Rican authorities ultimately pressing criminal charges against Mr. Anello" was the ship's captain initially saying he saw Anello outside the window frame of the boat, before admitting under oath that Anello's body was never outside the window frame."

To me, careful scrutiny of the video showed that neither Anello or Chloe was outside the window frame; rather, Chloe fell forward and out.

"As to notice, a former Royal Caribbean Chief Security Officer testified that this railing and these windows were a well-known hazard for years," Winkleman added. "And a former passenger testified about a near fall incident that almost took the life of a small child just two years prior to Chloe's death."

I do agree the act of holding Chloe beyond the railing was negligence, but apparently the situation being dangerous was previously known to Royal Caribbean.

It sounded to me that rather use resources to defend Anello, the decision was made to use those resources to sue Royal Caribbean, which as someone mentioned is probably already bankrupt due to covid.

This is such a sad and tragic case and I agree there are no winners here. I do hope the family will be able to one day move past it.

Johnnyeager · ‎09-05-2014

I hope that this greedy, avaricious family gets not one $ from Royal Caribbean.

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

Royal Caribbean is not bankrupt due to Covid or anything else. I'm not saying they are doing well financially but there are cruise ships that are operating in other countries.

Based on the fact that I've been on RCL cruise ships and more than once I saw in photos and on the news the area where this happened, I don't for one minute believe this was a hazard. There is no way someone could accidentally fall without being held up by the railing and then dropped or climbing up on railing. This wasn't a lower level window that was open and a child could fall right out. That is ridiculous. It is also super obvious when any of the windows are opened. There is also supposed video footage of all this including Anello holding Chloe out the open window.

I don't believe any good could come of this grandfather doing prison time however, I hope they do not get 1 cent from RCL over this incident either. Not sure how much stock I hold in a "former RCL security agent."

GrailSeeker · ‎12-01-2012

@Lipstickdiva wrote:
Royal Caribbean is not bankrupt due to Covid or anything else. I'm not saying they are doing well financially but there are cruise ships that are operating in other countries.

Based on the fact that I've been on RCL cruise ships and more than once I saw in photos and on the news the area where this happened, I don't for one minute believe this was a hazard. There is no way someone could accidentally fall without being held up by the railing and then dropped or climbing up on railing. This wasn't a lower level window that was open and a child could fall right out. That is ridiculous. It is also super obvious when any of the windows are opened. There is also supposed video footage of all this including Anello holding Chloe out the open window.

I don't believe any good could come of this grandfather doing prison time however, I hope they do not get 1 cent from RCL over this incident either. Not sure how much stock I hold in a "former RCL security agent."

Due to the safety railing, Anello could not himself project his head or torso outside the window frame. He did hold Chloe over the railing, but she was also not outside the frame.

People have fought and fought over what the video shows. Once you realize that the railing is between waist and chest high, you readily see that he himself could not go outside the frame, nor could he have held Chloe outside the ship to dangle ala Michael Jackson, as many claimed.

Yes, the former RCL security agent might be a former disgruntled employee. However, I was on a cruise ship message board when this first happened, and a woman stated that she had been on the same ship and had told her husband that the situation was an accident ready to happen.

If they do have witnesses willing to testify that complaints about the same window had been lodged, I can see RCL being found at least partially negligent.

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

@GrailSeeker wrote:

Due to the safety railing, Anello could not himself project his head or torso outside the window frame. He did hold Chloe over the railing, but she was also not outside the frame.

People have fought and fought over what the video shows. Once you realize that the railing is between waist and chest high, you readily see that he himself could not go outside the frame, nor could he have held Chloe outside the ship to dangle ala Michael Jackson, as many claimed.

Yes, the former RCL security agent might be a former disgruntled employee. However, I was on a cruise ship message board when this first happened, and a woman stated that she had been on the same ship and had told her husband that the situation was an accident ready to happen.

If they do have witnesses willing to testify that complaints about the same window had been lodged, I can see RCL being found at least partially negligent.

The fact that there is a railing there that he lifted her up to makes it even worse for him in my eyes.

The people on the cruise ship message boards I was on all wondered how in the world this could happen and how he could not have known the window was open. I guess if someone is going to climb on the railing or pick a child up and hold them up on the railing, an open window would be an accident waiting to happen. If people used common sense, the fact that a window was open that was up high enough that a child couldn't climb out, should be okay.