[국제]Grandfather jailed for dropping 18 months granddaughter on a cruise

A grandfather who accidentally dropped his 18-month-old granddaughter to death on a cruise ship escaped imprisonment.

On the 8th, U.S. media including NBC reported that a Puerto Rico court gave a three-year probation ruling to Salvatore Anello, 52, the defendant of a baby crash and death in a local cruise ship in 2019.

In July 2019, 18-month-old Chloe Wigand crashed and died from a window on the 11th floor of a cruise ship anchored in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It happened when Chloe’s mother, Kimberly, who was staying with Chloe at the children’s pool, asked Anello to see her for a while.

Anello thought that there was a window on the railing, so she raised her granddaughter by the deck window, and then the baby leaned back and fell 35 meters down. Chloe’s family was traveling from mainland America to San Juan with four grandparents, including children.

Anello, who was handed over to trial on charges of negligence, was jailed and released on bail. Anello has claimed that he is innocent, but said last year, “I will admit guilty so that my family can escape the tragedy.”

After the probation decision was made, Anello said, “I feel relieved now. It is comforting that I have escaped the sentence and that my family can end one period and move on to the next.”

The family has filed a civil lawsuit against the cruise ship, claiming that the cruise ship company was responsible for Chloe’s death. Chloe’s mother, Kimberly Wigand, said in an interview last year that “the pool window with the child was not in a safe situation because there was no protective device.”

However, the shipbuilder denied responsibility, saying, “I can’t have known that Anello had the window open. The baby’s death was just a tragic accident.”

YTN PLUS Reporter Jeong Yoon-joo
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