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

[fly girl]

Could be, but I don't imagine they were obligated to give him airtime, or would have done so at all if they didn't think it would be a ratings-grab. I hate this whole scenario for everyone involved.

You’re right, the situation is awful. No winners.

My hope is that the family is going on in attempt to stop the rumors and misinformation. (I.e., “dangling” done by the grandfather. I’m sure some people still think he Michael Jackson’ed the toddler.) Yes, they don’t really know what happened since they haven’t viewed the tape, but my best guess is that they feel a need to unburden the grandfather. The guilt he is feeling is likely insurmountable, and this could be a way for them to publicly say they know it was an accident.

Now, with my true hopes said ...

I’m thinking it won’t be just that. It’ll likely place blame on RCCL. That lawyer is trying to play to human emotion wanting to fix what can’t be done. He wants blame placed on a company without a face because it’s easier, and much more lucrative, to do that then point a finger at Grandpa.

Like I said in a previous post, this family is not in the right state of mind. I think they’re just going through the motions and the lawyer has somehow become a voice of reason. He’s a great manipulator, it’s his job. And in this fog of devastation to them he’s become the someone who can do something. They’re still in denial.

I hope I don’t watch and lose empathy for them. But if they act like it’s a big money grab, I likely will.

And I really hope The Today Show does something productive with it. Reinforcing to be aware of surroundings, something. Anything positive. Not a pure ratings grab story that sensationalizes a tragic story.

 

[gwynne]

You’re right, the situation is awful. No winners.

My hope is that the family is going on in attempt to stop the rumors and misinformation. (I.e., “dangling” done by the grandfather. I’m sure some people still think he Michael Jackson’ed the toddler.) Yes, they don’t really know what happened since they haven’t viewed the tape, but my best guess is that they feel a need to unburden the grandfather. The guilt he is feeling is likely insurmountable, and this could be a way for them to publicly say they know it was an accident.

Now, with my true hopes said ...

I’m thinking it won’t be just that. It’ll likely place blame on RCCL. That lawyer is trying to play to human emotion wanting to fix what can’t be done. He wants blame placed on a company without a face because it’s easier, and much more lucrative, to do that then point a finger at Grandpa.

Like I said in a previous post, this family is not in the right state of mind. I think they’re just going through the motions and the lawyer has somehow become a voice of reason. He’s a great manipulator, it’s his job. And in this fog of devastation to them he’s become the someone who can do something. They’re still in denial.

I hope I don’t watch and lose empathy for them. But if they act like it’s a big money grab, I likely will.

And I really hope The Today Show does something productive with it. Reinforcing to be aware of surroundings, something. Anything positive. Not a pure ratings grab story that sensationalizes a tragic story.

I hope it's a gentle interview. I can't imagine them wanting to answer questions from, say, neighbors. Questions from a stranger like a Today show presenter would be so hard.
About the attorney. Maybe he is exactly as he seems....maybe he's doing the best he can with what he's got. I dunno. (And I don't agree with his current tactics, I'm just musing on why he might have gone in that direction.)

That tape and the investigations results will probably give us the answer.
Whatever the outcome, legally, the entire family will never be the same. It's so sad.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I hope it's a gentle interview.

Did they say who's doing the interview?

 

[rlk]

Did they say who's doing the interview?

From the preview I saw, it looks like Savannah Guthrie is interviewing them.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Probably the interview will be easy, intended to evoke empathy.

 

[sam_gordon]

Maybe they just want to say he wasn’t swinging her or dangling her I don’t know. There is room in there between #1 and #2. Maybe they can explain some of the questions people have. Maybe they still don’t have a clue since they weren’t actually there and the Today show approached them. Perhaps they have already been talking to the cruise line. Or maybe they truly will just put all blame on the cruise line. My point is we don’t know. But as usual around here if the word “lawsuit” is uttered the person or family automatically become the devil and wrong in every way. It was the same way with the little boy attacked by the alligator.

I'll bet a dole whip they're going to lay all the blame on the cruise line. Like I said, I'm more than happy to come back here and state I was wrong.

As far as them going on the Today show, we'll never know, but my guess is the lawyer contacted the Today show (and probably the other shows) and said "I'll give you an exclusive with the family." As much as this story has been talked about, not many organizations would turn that down.

 

[mummabear]

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/f...0190722-uubvgszqjngufljkdf7xggaaby-story.html

The Indiana parents of a toddler who fell from the 11th deck of a Royal Caribbean ship in Puerto Rico will share their story on NBC’s “Today” show Monday.
Alan and Kimberly Wiegand will be talking about their 18-month-old daughter Chloe and cruise ship safety.


"They are discussing the tragedy and trying to raise awareness so something like this never happens again,'' their Miami maritime attorney Michael Winkleman said of the interview.

The girl was traveling with her parents, two siblings and two sets of grandparents July 7 when they boarded the Freedom of the Seas which was docked in San Juan. That afternoon, Chloe Wiegand was with her maternal grandfather Salvatore Anello. He placed her on a wooden railing along a wall of windows in the ship’s water park area and she fell through an open window, according to their attorney.

At a news conference that week, Winkleman disputed initial media and police reports that the girl slipped from her grandfather’s arms when she fell.
RELATED STORY: Family seeks answers after toddler dies in 11-floor fall from cruise ship »
Winkleman said the girl had “wanted to bang on the glass like she always did at her older brother’s hockey games. Her grandfather thought there was glass just like everywhere else, but there was not, and she was gone in an instant.”

The family flew back to their South Bend, Ind., home July 11 for the girl’s funeral, which was held last week, said Winkleman. Each of the officers who attended carried a carnation and one officer carried a hand-drawn portrait of the girl, according to WSBT-Ch. 22.
LATEST NEWS
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/w...qjbl3gvwsybbb3m-story.html#nt=related-content
The girl’s father is a police officer in the town; the girl’s mother is a former deputy prosecutor for St. Joseph County, according to WSBT which also reported that the grandfather works in the IT department for the county.

Winkleman said they are seeking surveillance video from the cruise ship of where the incident took place.
"RCCL still has not disclosed the CCTV footage,'' he said.
Owen Torres, a spokesman for Royal Caribbean, did not immediately respond to a media inquiry Sunday. He said earlier that the cruise line was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy and the cruise line was assisting authorities in San Juan.
RELATED STORY: ‘Why in the world would you leave a window open?' asks attorney for family of toddler who died after falling 11 floors from cruise ship »

Johnny Diaz
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Johnny Diaz is a features and viral news writer at the Sun Sentinel. Prior to that, he was a media reporter for The Boston Globe's Business section. Johnny is the author of six novels: Boston Boys Club, Miami Manhunt, Beantown Cubans, Take the Lead and Looking for Providence. His latest novel, Six Neckties, was published in May 2017.

Interesting that the lawyer is saying they are seeking the footage when I thought RCL had offered it to them already.

 

[rlk]

So unfortunate that they are putting all the blame on RCL.

 

[nkereina]

I haven't been following the thread or the stories on this incident over the last week or so, but I did catch the family's interview on the Today Show this morning. The story they told said that a window in the pool area near the kid's splash zone was open. They said that Royal told them it was open for "ventilation". The Today show displayed a rendering of the cruise deck and the window, and the window they showed was the long rectangular upper window with a railing between the solid pane of glass on the bottom that does not open and the rectangular pane on top that slides open. The top portion is what happened to be open for ventilation while in port. I've cruised with Royal a few times and am familiar with these windows. The railing between the two panes is about torso height on an adult. The family said the grandfather lifted the girl to the railing to look out the window, and he believed it was all glass. It unfortunately was not. To me, this story makes sense - if the window was shut, I can easily envision a scenario where the girl could balance her feet on the railing, with the grandfather holding her, while she looked out the glass. So, I don't think any "dangling" actually occurred.

What didn't sit well with me is that the family blames the cruise line for having the window open. They said the cruise line should get fans or another mechanism for ventilation. I understand they are in grief and looking to place blame to make sense of this tragic accident, but one simply cannot blame the cruise line for having a small rectangular window open for ventilation while the ship was not in motion. Under normal circumstances, the window is too tall for any child to be in danger and too small for any adult to easily fall out of. IMO, balcony cabins pose much more of a danger than this particular window being open ever could. It was just an unfortunate freak accident and no one is to blame based on the description the family gave.

 

[sam_gordon]

I'll bet a dole whip they're going to lay all the blame on the cruise line. Like I said, I'm more than happy to come back here and state I was wrong.

I don't owe anyone a dole whip. Color me surprised. </sarcasm>

"We obviously blame them for not having a safer situation on the 11th floor of that cruise ship. There are a million things that could've been done to make that safer. I know my mom was asking people, 'Why on earth is there a window open on the 11th floor without a screen or anything?'" Chloe Wiegand's mother, Kimberly Wiegand, told Savannah Guthrie.

I just read Today's online story... did Savannah ask the obvious question... "What about balcony cabins? Should those have screens?"

 

[mom2rtk]

I'll bet a dole whip they're going to lay all the blame on the cruise line. Like I said, I'm more than happy to come back here and state I was wrong.

As far as them going on the Today show, we'll never know, but my guess is the lawyer contacted the Today show (and probably the other shows) and said "I'll give you an exclusive with the family." As much as this story has been talked about, not many organizations would turn that down.

That was my first guess as well. Lawyer probably only gets paid if the cruise line makes a big payout. And he’s not above pimping out a grieving family to make that happen.

 

[kaytieeldr]

				The lawyer gets a percentage of any payout, not just a large one. If they ended up settling for $100, he'd get $33-$40. Not that he would accept that settlement, of course. I feel bad for the grandfather. It was a fluke accident, and (since the mother said he was Chloe's best friend) the grandfather has to be devastated. Looking at the deck plan, the kids' area seems to be in the middle of the deck from side to side - so, away from the wIndows as much as possible - and the open window in question appears to be a bit aft of that. More in line with the hot tub.

 

[msjprincess]

				The lawyer gets a percentage of any payout, not just a large one. If they ended up settling for $100, he'd get $33-$40. Not that he would accept that settlement, of course. I feel bad for the grandfather. It was a fluke accident, and (since the mother said he was Chloe's best friend) the grandfather has to be devastated. Looking at the deck plan, the kids' area seems to be in the middle of the deck from side to side - so, away from the wIndows as much as possible - and the open window in question appears to be a bit aft of that. More in line with the hot tub.

And the open window is above the heads of small children. It's the pool area, not an area where children are running around unattended.

 

[mnrose]

Shock. They blame the cruise line entirely. 100%. I *understand* that instinct because they are suffering horrible grief and they need answers. But, I hope as time passes, they realize that it was NOT the cruise line's fault. It was a very poor decision by the grandfather who let his guard down and did a stupid thing. The kind of stupid thing that happens in real life. People make split second decisions that seem innocent but have horrible consequences. We all do it. Nearly every day. I'll give you another example. I was running around the lake and was momentarily distracted by some activity on the water near me. And, I fell because of a small heave in the sidewalk. Momentary, split second decision. At my age, it could have been devastating had I fallen differently than I did. But, no broken bones, head protected and fine. And, it was MY fault. 100%. This is exactly what happened here. And, I can't imagine living with that thought that *my* decision resulted in the death of a beloved grandchild. I'm sure my instinct to find someone or something else to blame would kick into overdrive. Doesn't change the reality though. Literally 10's and 10's of thousands of children have played in that area over the years and not ONE tiny accident involving those windows. They need to look inward at their actions instead of placing blame.

 

[ronandannette]

I pray for grace and peace in this shattered family and wish them nothing but good as they travel the impossible road of grief...BUT...I also hope RCCL does not pay one red cent in a voluntary settlement and goes to the wall to defend any action brought against them. Better yet, I hope whatever judge presided over the preliminary hearing (if it gets that far) dismisses it entirely.

 

[JaxDad]

The cruise line will quietly settle with the family (and the lawyer will get his fat cut). They just need this to go away. The lawyer knows this, and played a strong card with the family's television appearance. Of course, the network also played right into his hands for their own selfish reasons.

 

[lifesavacation]

The cruise line will quietly settle with the family (and the lawyer will get his fat cut). They just need this to go away. The lawyer knows this, and played a strong card with the family's television appearance. Of course, the network also played right into his hands for their own selfish reasons.

Agree. The last thing the cruise line wants is for the public to think that the ships aren’t safe for children. They’ll lose more money that way than if they quickly settle with a nondisclosure. I didn’t watch the show, but I’m sure there are people out there who will believe their narrative.

 

[JaxDad]

Agree. The last thing the cruise line wants is for the public to think that the ships aren’t safe for children. They’ll lose more money that way than if they quickly settle with a nondisclosure. I didn’t watch the show, but I’m sure there are people out there who will believe their narrative.

I didn't watch it either. The only times I've seen the show is involuntarily while sitting in various waiting rooms. My impression was the audience will agree with whatever narrative is presented to them.

 

[msjprincess]

Agree. The last thing the cruise line wants is for the public to think that the ships aren’t safe for children. They’ll lose more money that way than if they quickly settle with a nondisclosure. I didn’t watch the show, but I’m sure there are people out there who will believe their narrative.

I'm sure. I've seen people on FB blaming RCCL since the day it happened.

 

[lifesavacation]

I'm sure. I've seen people on FB blaming RCCL since the day it happened.

I truly don’t understand how anyone can hold RCCL even partially responsible.