This is just so sad,,and makes me ask WHY would someone do this?? I don't call it 'playing'??

[sam_gordon]

I agree, but they will need to consider how this affects their civil action.

Yup. If he accepts this deal I would think it would torpedo their chances in the civil suit.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Grandfather is being offered a plea deal:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-toddler-death-try-prove-color-blindness.html

Well, I can't read the whole article (I use an ad blocker), so I can't comment on whether the deal is a good one or not.

 

[sam_gordon]

Well, I can't read the whole article (I use an ad blocker), so I can't comment on whether the deal is a good one or not.

You can temporarily turn ad blockers off. At least the ones I have. They'll only be off for the current tab. So I read the article, then close the tab.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, I can't read the whole article (I use an ad blocker), so I can't comment on whether the deal is a good one or not.

If he please guilty to negligent homicide, he will get minimum probation and minimum supervision. No jail time, maybe only see his P.O. a couple of times a year. It's not like he's ever going to let anything like this happen again.

 

[Imzadi]

Well, I can't read the whole article (I use an ad blocker), so I can't comment on whether the deal is a good one or not.

(I hate when some links can't be clicked on when reading on the cell phone.)

Here is the full article: (minus all the emotionally manipulative photos):

​

​

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-toddler-death-try-prove-color-blindness.html​

​

"Prosecutors offer plea deal to grandfather accused of dropping toddler to her death from cruise ship, sparing him jail if he accepts blame and pleads guilty​

​

[The short version:]​

• Salvatore Anello was at court in San Juan, Puerto Rico for a hearing related to the negligent homicide death of his granddaughter Chloe Wiegand, 18 months
• He is accused of dropping Chloe from a Royal Caribbean ship window on July 7, and if found guilty of negligent homicide could face three years in prison
• Prosecutors offered him a plea deal on Tuesday, which he would have to admit guilt to receive no jail time, minimum probation and minimum supervision
• Anello has said he didn't realize the window Chloe 'slipped' through was open
• He is reportedly considering the plea deal but is leaning towards rejecting it and taking his case to trial
• Last month, Anello claimed he didn't realize there wasn't any glass in the window pane because he is colorblind
• His lawyers said on Tuesday they plan to present Anello's medical records and evidence on his health status, also indicating they would want a trial by jury
• DailyMail.com previously revealed the last photo of Chloe moments before her death, standing beside a kids' splash pool wearing a pink swimming costume
• Footage of the tragedy seen by DailyMail.com shows the moment Chloe fell, with Anello slumping to his knees and her mother recoiling in shock and collapsing

[Full article:]​

Puerto Rican prosecutors have offered a plea deal to a grandfather accused of dropping a toddler to her death from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, which would spare him jail if he accepts and pleads guilty, according to a report.​

​

Salvatore Anello was charged with negligent homicide in the death of his granddaughter Chloe Wiegand, who plummeted 150ft to her death from a window on July 7.​

​

Anello, an IT worker from Valparaiso, Indiana, faces three years in prison if the case goes to trial and he's found guilty.​

​

After a hearing in San Juan on Tuesday, prosecutors offered Anello a plea deal, which he would have to admit guilt by negligence to receive no jail time, minimum probation and minimum supervision, according to a report by CBS.​

​

Anello, who has maintained he didn't realize the window Chloe 'slipped' through was open, is reportedly considering the plea deal but is leaning towards rejecting it and taking his case to trial.​

​

Earlier on Tuesday, Anello was seen arriving to court wearing a gray suit, brown tie and white dress shirt.​

​

Anello previously claimed he was colorblind and didn't realize the ship's tinted window pane was open when he lifted 18-month-old Chloe up to the railing and she 'slipped' from his arms and fell to her death.​

​

In Tuesday's hearing, his lawyers said they plan to present Anello's medical records and evidence on his health status, and also indicated they would want a trial by jury.​

​

His legal team will try to prove his color blindness meant he couldn't see that there wasn't any glass in the window pane the little girl fell through.​

​

The next court hearing is set for January 27, 2020.​

​

Last month, Anello told CBS This Morning: 'I am color blind so that's something that ... I don't know. I just never saw it. I've been told that's a reason it may have happened.'​

​

He also said there was nothing Puerto Rican prosecutors could do to him that would be more painful than his grief, saying: 'Chloe being gone is the worst thing ever so I'm like whatever.​

​

'You know. I don't know... there's nothing worse that they could do to me than what's already happened.... Whether they find me guilty or not it's inconsequential.'​

​

Last month, DailyMail.com revealed the last photo taken of Chloe moments before she tumbled through the sliding glass windows surrounding the Freedom of the Seas ship's H2O Zone and died instantly as she landed on a concrete dock.​

​

The bitter-sweet image shows Chloe standing beside a kids' splash pool on the 11th deck of the ship.​

​

Wearing a white floppy sunhat, cute pink swimming costume and matching pink water shoes, she looks inquisitively at the colorful sculptures and spray cannons.​

​

Footage of the tragedy seen by DailyMail.com shows the moment Chloe fell, with Anello slumping to his knees and her mother recoiling in shock as she collapsed to the ground.​

​

Another image of the tragic scene shows the spot where Chloe is presumed to have landed and soon after been pronounced dead, covered with a blue police tent.​

​

The photo is included in a negligence suit filed this month by Chloe's parents Alan and Kimberly Wiegand, accusing Royal Caribbean of breaching industry safety standards by having large glass windows on their ships that could be slid wide open by passengers without warning.​

​

The Wiegands have been steadfast in their support for Anello, Chloe's maternal grandfather, blaming Royal Caribbean for failing to install the safety devices or warning signs seen on similar ships.​

​

If their suit succeeds, the grieving couple from South Bend, Indiana could claim 'unlimited' damages for pain and mental suffering because Chloe died on American territory rather than while the boat was at sea.​

​

Damages awarded under unlawful death laws are typically far higher than those under the Death On The High Seas Act, which covers only smaller items such as funeral expenses, the family's attorney Michael Winkleman explained.​

​

He refused to be drawn on a specific figure telling DailyMail.com: 'One of the hardest things in my job is to put a figure on grief. And how can you possibly do that in the death of a child.​

​

'Four simple words - caution these windows open - and we wouldn't be talking about his. A sticker, a decal with the Royal Caribbean logo, anything, and Chloe is still with us.'​

​

The Wiegands' suit, filed in Miami, Florida, where Royal Caribbean is based, states that Anello was alone with Chloe and 'closely supervising her' at an area known as the H2O Zone."​

​

 

[fly girl]

Take the deal, Grandpa. Take the deal.

Yes, it hinders the civil suit. But your civil suit has no legs to stand on.

End this tragedy. Remember Chloe in a more positive way.

 

[Imzadi]

Grandfather is being offered a plea deal:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-toddler-death-try-prove-color-blindness.html

I love their description:

"He is accused of dropping Chloe "​

Yep! If he hadn't have picked her up and perched her on the railing, she never would have fallen. Period. Full Stop.

 

[Disneylover99]

I’d be surprised if he took the deal.
I doubt he will. I don’t think he wants to admit fault.

 

[wgeo]

In my opinion he should totally take the deal and put this horrible tragedy behind them.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Am I understanding the article and previous information correctly, i.e. Chloe was wearing a bathing suit when he put her on that railing and used a one arm hold in front of an open window on the 11th deck?? So, when a healthy, already excited, and probably wriggly toddler who is slippery enough in regular clothes, is now even more slippery in a bathing suit (which, even when dry, doesn't have much grip in the fabric), the grandfather chooses to put her on the railing with a one arm hold? Absolutely no words...

 

[John VN]

Am I understanding the article and previous information correctly, i.e. Chloe was wearing a bathing suit when he put her on that railing and used a one arm hold in front of an open window on the 11th deck?? So, when a healthy, already excited, and probably wriggly toddler who is slippery enough in regular clothes, is now even more slippery in a bathing suit (which, even when dry, doesn't have much grip in the fabric), the grandfather chooses to put her on the railing with a one arm hold? Absolutely no words...

That's my understanding.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... If he hadn't have picked her up and perched her on the railing, she never would have fallen. Period. Full Stop.

Exactly. And how, in any reasonable explanation, is his picking her up and his putting her on the railing (with a one arm hold while she was wearing a bathing suit) in any way the cruise line's fault? Much less 100% the cruise line's fault? She never could have fallen at all if she hadn't been put on that railing -- how in the world does he think he is not responsible for putting her there and that the cruise line is 100% responsible?

 

[tzolkin]

-- how in the world does he think he is not responsible for putting her there and that the cruise line is 100% responsible?

Completely an assumption, but I don't believe that he or the family actually believe that he has no responsibility and that this is completely the cruise line's fault. I think they know he is at fault, but this is what they have to tell themselves to go about their lives, both with each other as a family and with their wider circle of friends and acquaintances.

I think it would be incredibly difficult to maintain a relationship with someone who is responsible for killing your child. You may still love the person, but I think the image would permeate every interaction you have with them. On the other hand, if you're both innocent victims and it's someone else's fault (cruise line), it's much easier to remain close.

I think it would also be very uncomfortable to deal with others who know the story as well (friends, neighbors, coworkers, school, etc). Just look at us in this thread; the majority believe the grandfather's actions to be completely inexcusable and stupid because we think he is at fault, but we would probably be much more sympathetic if we believed this was a complete accident that could have happened to anyone. While I'm sure it's awkward and challenging for their interactions regardless of the reason, I have to think that they believe it's easier to have conversations with friends, go to school functions, etc. if they maintain that it was an accident at the fault of the cruise line rather than admitting the truth and knowing that everyone was judging about their father causing the child's death through his stupidity.

 

[mjkacmom]

Completely an assumption, but I don't believe that he or the family actually believe that he has no responsibility and that this is completely the cruise line's fault. I think they know he is at fault, but this is what they have to tell themselves to go about their lives, both with each other as a family and with their wider circle of friends and acquaintances.

I think it would be incredibly difficult to maintain a relationship with someone who is responsible for killing your child. You may still love the person, but I think the image would permeate every interaction you have with them. On the other hand, if you're both innocent victims and it's someone else's fault (cruise line), it's much easier to remain close.

I think it would also be very uncomfortable to deal with others who know the story as well (friends, neighbors, coworkers, school, etc). Just look at us in this thread; the majority believe the grandfather's actions to be completely inexcusable and stupid because we think he is at fault, but we would probably be much more sympathetic if we believed this was a complete accident that could have happened to anyone. While I'm sure it's awkward and challenging for their interactions regardless of the reason, I have to think that they believe it's easier to have conversations with friends, go to school functions, etc. if they maintain that it was an accident at the fault of the cruise line rather than admitting the truth and knowing that everyone was judging about their father causing the child's death through his stupidity.

Plus I’m sure their attorney has gone through great lengths to convince them that RCL is to blame, not the grandfather. I think this has very little to do about money for this family.

 

[Searc]

(I hate when some links can't be clicked on when reading on the cell phone.)

Here is the full article: (minus all the emotionally manipulative photos):

​

​

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-toddler-death-try-prove-color-blindness.html​

​

"Prosecutors offer plea deal to grandfather accused of dropping toddler to her death from cruise ship, sparing him jail if he accepts blame and pleads guilty​

​

[The short version:]​

• Salvatore Anello was at court in San Juan, Puerto Rico for a hearing related to the negligent homicide death of his granddaughter Chloe Wiegand, 18 months
• He is accused of dropping Chloe from a Royal Caribbean ship window on July 7, and if found guilty of negligent homicide could face three years in prison
• Prosecutors offered him a plea deal on Tuesday, which he would have to admit guilt to receive no jail time, minimum probation and minimum supervision
• Anello has said he didn't realize the window Chloe 'slipped' through was open
• He is reportedly considering the plea deal but is leaning towards rejecting it and taking his case to trial
• Last month, Anello claimed he didn't realize there wasn't any glass in the window pane because he is colorblind
• His lawyers said on Tuesday they plan to present Anello's medical records and evidence on his health status, also indicating they would want a trial by jury
• DailyMail.com previously revealed the last photo of Chloe moments before her death, standing beside a kids' splash pool wearing a pink swimming costume
• Footage of the tragedy seen by DailyMail.com shows the moment Chloe fell, with Anello slumping to his knees and her mother recoiling in shock and collapsing

[Full article:]​

Puerto Rican prosecutors have offered a plea deal to a grandfather accused of dropping a toddler to her death from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, which would spare him jail if he accepts and pleads guilty, according to a report.​

​

Salvatore Anello was charged with negligent homicide in the death of his granddaughter Chloe Wiegand, who plummeted 150ft to her death from a window on July 7.​

​

Anello, an IT worker from Valparaiso, Indiana, faces three years in prison if the case goes to trial and he's found guilty.​

​

After a hearing in San Juan on Tuesday, prosecutors offered Anello a plea deal, which he would have to admit guilt by negligence to receive no jail time, minimum probation and minimum supervision, according to a report by CBS.​

​

Anello, who has maintained he didn't realize the window Chloe 'slipped' through was open, is reportedly considering the plea deal but is leaning towards rejecting it and taking his case to trial.​

​

Earlier on Tuesday, Anello was seen arriving to court wearing a gray suit, brown tie and white dress shirt.​

​

Anello previously claimed he was colorblind and didn't realize the ship's tinted window pane was open when he lifted 18-month-old Chloe up to the railing and she 'slipped' from his arms and fell to her death.​

​

In Tuesday's hearing, his lawyers said they plan to present Anello's medical records and evidence on his health status, and also indicated they would want a trial by jury.​

​

His legal team will try to prove his color blindness meant he couldn't see that there wasn't any glass in the window pane the little girl fell through.​

​

The next court hearing is set for January 27, 2020.​

​

Last month, Anello told CBS This Morning: 'I am color blind so that's something that ... I don't know. I just never saw it. I've been told that's a reason it may have happened.'​

​

He also said there was nothing Puerto Rican prosecutors could do to him that would be more painful than his grief, saying: 'Chloe being gone is the worst thing ever so I'm like whatever.​

​

'You know. I don't know... there's nothing worse that they could do to me than what's already happened.... Whether they find me guilty or not it's inconsequential.'​

​

Last month, DailyMail.com revealed the last photo taken of Chloe moments before she tumbled through the sliding glass windows surrounding the Freedom of the Seas ship's H2O Zone and died instantly as she landed on a concrete dock.​

​

The bitter-sweet image shows Chloe standing beside a kids' splash pool on the 11th deck of the ship.​

​

Wearing a white floppy sunhat, cute pink swimming costume and matching pink water shoes, she looks inquisitively at the colorful sculptures and spray cannons.​

​

Footage of the tragedy seen by DailyMail.com shows the moment Chloe fell, with Anello slumping to his knees and her mother recoiling in shock as she collapsed to the ground.​

​

Another image of the tragic scene shows the spot where Chloe is presumed to have landed and soon after been pronounced dead, covered with a blue police tent.​

​

The photo is included in a negligence suit filed this month by Chloe's parents Alan and Kimberly Wiegand, accusing Royal Caribbean of breaching industry safety standards by having large glass windows on their ships that could be slid wide open by passengers without warning.​

​

The Wiegands have been steadfast in their support for Anello, Chloe's maternal grandfather, blaming Royal Caribbean for failing to install the safety devices or warning signs seen on similar ships.​

​

If their suit succeeds, the grieving couple from South Bend, Indiana could claim 'unlimited' damages for pain and mental suffering because Chloe died on American territory rather than while the boat was at sea.​

​

Damages awarded under unlawful death laws are typically far higher than those under the Death On The High Seas Act, which covers only smaller items such as funeral expenses, the family's attorney Michael Winkleman explained.​

​

He refused to be drawn on a specific figure telling DailyMail.com: 'One of the hardest things in my job is to put a figure on grief. And how can you possibly do that in the death of a child.​

​

'Four simple words - caution these windows open - and we wouldn't be talking about his. A sticker, a decal with the Royal Caribbean logo, anything, and Chloe is still with us.'​

​

The Wiegands' suit, filed in Miami, Florida, where Royal Caribbean is based, states that Anello was alone with Chloe and 'closely supervising her' at an area known as the H2O Zone."​

​

I thought her mother was elsewhere on the ship when the accident happened? According to the article you linked, it says she was there when it happened.

 

[Searc]

That article is terribly written, by the way. Using emotionally charged words is terrible "journalism".

 

[tzolkin]

Plus I’m sure their attorney has gone through great lengths to convince them that RCL is to blame, not the grandfather. I think this has very little to do about money for this family.

Yes, I agree that placing the blame is more about emotional coping for the family.

I know I used to be overly paranoid when my kids were little, but I did not like others to hold my infants while walking around, multitasking, etc. My other siblings were more understanding, but my one sister was always very offended. When she came to my house to meet my third, she was like, "Yeah, I know, I have to sit on the couch to hold the baby because you think I'm so clumsy" I tried repeatedly to explain to her that it's not that I thought she was any more likely to drop my baby than I was. But if I dropped my own baby and caused permanent damage I would have to live with that whereas if she dropped my baby it would be very hard for me to forgive her. I'm sure it may seem ridiculous to most people, but I just didn't want to even open the opportunity for something like that to happen because I knew it could ruin the relationship.

 

[sam_gordon]

I thought her mother was elsewhere on the ship when the accident happened? According to the article you linked, it says she was there when it happened.

I think it's just poor writing. From what I recall, the mother got to the scene fairly quickly after the incident, but wasn't there when it actually happened.

 

[fly girl]

Completely an assumption, but I don't believe that he or the family actually believe that he has no responsibility and that this is completely the cruise line's fault. I think they know he is at fault, but this is what they have to tell themselves to go about their lives, both with each other as a family and with their wider circle of friends and acquaintances.

I think it would be incredibly difficult to maintain a relationship with someone who is responsible for killing your child. You may still love the person, but I think the image would permeate every interaction you have with them. On the other hand, if you're both innocent victims and it's someone else's fault (cruise line), it's much easier to remain close.

I think it would also be very uncomfortable to deal with others who know the story as well (friends, neighbors, coworkers, school, etc). Just look at us in this thread; the majority believe the grandfather's actions to be completely inexcusable and stupid because we think he is at fault, but we would probably be much more sympathetic if we believed this was a complete accident that could have happened to anyone. While I'm sure it's awkward and challenging for their interactions regardless of the reason, I have to think that they believe it's easier to have conversations with friends, go to school functions, etc. if they maintain that it was an accident at the fault of the cruise line rather than admitting the truth and knowing that everyone was judging about their father causing the child's death through his stupidity.

I agree the family is blaming RCCL because it is easier to place blame on a company versus their own family member. I am sure they wrestle with it daily, and they are trying their best to convince themselves it is not the Grandfather's fault. It is a coping mechanism for daily survival. I can't imagine what they are dealing with, and I wish them any sense of peace they can get. But know, I don't agree with the lawsuit against RCCL one bit, but on some level I can try and understand they are doing it for their own sanity. Then they can say, "See, the cruise line DID cause this."

I think many on here do have sympathy for the Grandfather. Yes, we believe he is at fault. However, I don't think anyone on here thinks it was intentional. He had a lapse in judgment that unfortunately led to a horrific tragedy. His sentence is living with his actions. And none of us would wish that mental and emotional turmoil on anyone.

 

[robinb]

I am one of the few people here who believes that the cruise line has some blame in this tragedy. Even so, I think that the grandfather (who is younger than me ) should take the deal. I think his freedom is more important than whatever impact the deal might have on their lawsuit. I hope they make the right choice for their family.