- Kimberly Wiegand, the mother of Chloe, an 18-month-old toddler who died on a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship after falling from the ship's 11th floor , said in an interview with NBC News that she blames Royal Caribbean for the incident.
- Chloe fell from a window in a children's play area that had been opened, NBC News reported.
- Royal Caribbean told Wiegand that it had opened the window to ventilate the area.
- Chloe's grandfather, Sam, who had placed her on a railing behind the open window, did not realize the window was open, Wiegand told NBC News.
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'Why is there an open window in the kids' play area 11 stories off the ground?': The mother of the toddler who fell from the 11th floor of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship said she blames the company for her daughter's death
Keith Bedford/Reuters
Kimberly Wiegand, the mother of Chloe, an 18-month-old toddler who died on a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship after falling from the ship's 11th floor , said in an interview with NBC News that she blames Royal Caribbean for the incident.
"We obviously blame them," Wiegand told the network. Later in the interview she said the company should be held responsible for the incident in court.
Chloe fell from a window in a children's play area that had been opened, NBC News reported. Wiegand told the network that she wondered why the window had been left open.
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"We have a lot of questions, primarily, why is there an open window in the kids' play area 11 stories off the ground?" she said.
Royal Caribbean told Wiegand that it had opened the window to ventilate the area.
"Well to that I would say, get a fan," she told NBC News. "Come up with some other mechanism to make your guests comfortable rather than creating a tremendous safety hazard that cost our child her life."
Chloe's grandfather, Sam, who had placed her on a railing behind the open window, did not realize the window was open, Wiegand said.
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"He was extremely hysterical," she told NBC News. "The thing that he has repeatedly told us is, 'I believed that there was glass.' He will cry over and over. At no point ever, ever, has Sam ever put our kids in danger."
A Royal Caribbean representative directed Business Insider's request for comment to the Puerto Rican authorities who are investigating the incident.
"We are deeply saddened by this incident, and our hearts go out to the family," the Royal Caribbean representative said.
The Puerto Rico Department of Justice could not immediately be reached for comment.
Watch NBC News full interview here
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Have you worked on a cruise ship? Do you have a story to share? Email this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com .
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SEE ALSO: An environmental-advocacy group graded 16 cruise lines on how well they limit pollution. Every Carnival cruise line they graded got an 'F.'
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