Royal Caribbean faces a wrongful death lawsuit over the alleged negligence of crew members on one of its ships. Connie Aguilar is suing the cruise line after her fiancé Michael Virgil died on board in December 2024. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has ruled his death a homicide, attributing it to mechanical asphyxia caused by forceful restraint and obesity.
According to Aguilar's lawsuit, crew members served Virgil at least 33 alcoholic drinks before he became agitated and lost control, leading them to tackle him to the ground. The incident was captured on video shot by passenger Christopher McHale, which shows Virgil kicking a door in distress as crew members held him down.
Aguilar's lawsuit alleges that Royal Caribbean failed to exercise its duty of care towards Virgil, who exhibited signs of intoxication before being served more drinks. The cruise line is also accused of having a system that encourages and facilitates excessive alcohol consumption on board, with multiple serving stations across the ship.
The medical examiner's report stated that Virgil had been administered a sedative and pepper spray during the incident, which further contributed to his death. Aguilar is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial in federal court in Miami, where Royal Caribbean has its headquarters.
Experts say that this case raises concerns about the safety measures implemented by cruise lines to prevent excessive drinking on board. Maritime common law requires carriers like Royal Caribbean to supervise and assist passengers likely to engage in behavior dangerous to themselves or others. However, it appears that these measures were not followed in Virgil's case, leaving him vulnerable to harm.
The incident has sparked outrage among some who have expressed sympathy for Aguilar and her family, highlighting the risks associated with excessive drinking on cruise ships.
According to Aguilar's lawsuit, crew members served Virgil at least 33 alcoholic drinks before he became agitated and lost control, leading them to tackle him to the ground. The incident was captured on video shot by passenger Christopher McHale, which shows Virgil kicking a door in distress as crew members held him down.
Aguilar's lawsuit alleges that Royal Caribbean failed to exercise its duty of care towards Virgil, who exhibited signs of intoxication before being served more drinks. The cruise line is also accused of having a system that encourages and facilitates excessive alcohol consumption on board, with multiple serving stations across the ship.
The medical examiner's report stated that Virgil had been administered a sedative and pepper spray during the incident, which further contributed to his death. Aguilar is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial in federal court in Miami, where Royal Caribbean has its headquarters.
Experts say that this case raises concerns about the safety measures implemented by cruise lines to prevent excessive drinking on board. Maritime common law requires carriers like Royal Caribbean to supervise and assist passengers likely to engage in behavior dangerous to themselves or others. However, it appears that these measures were not followed in Virgil's case, leaving him vulnerable to harm.
The incident has sparked outrage among some who have expressed sympathy for Aguilar and her family, highlighting the risks associated with excessive drinking on cruise ships.
. It's just heartbreaking thinking that someone's fiancé lost his life due to a crew member's actions. I don't think it's okay that they served him that many drinks and then tackled him when he got agitated 
. And what's even more disturbing is that the video shows him being held down while kicking in distress, it's just awful 
.
It raises so many questions about the safety measures in place and whether they're actually being followed. I hope that Connie Aguilar gets some justice and that Royal Caribbean takes responsibility for what happened 
.
. And the worst part is that his death has sparked outrage and sympathy for Connie's family, but I think it's more than that - we need real change to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again 
. Like, I get that people love a good drink, but 33 drinks?! That's insane! 
. Royal Caribbean needs to seriously reevaluate their policies and procedures when it comes to handling intoxicated passengers.
. It's just heartbreaking that Michael Virgil was served so many drinks before something terrible happened and it's even more disturbing that he was restrained by crew members in distress 
. I can only imagine how frightening and terrifying that must have been for him and his loved ones. 
This case definitely raises some serious questions about cruise lines' safety measures and their responsibility towards passengers... I just hope justice is served and Connie Aguilar gets the support she needs during this incredibly difficult time 
.
. You can't serve someone 33 drinks in one sitting and expect them to be fine 
.
. I mean, what's next? Suing the airline for serving you too many drinks on a plane? 
.
33 drinks in one sitting? 
no wonder he ended up dead 
. royal caribbean needs to be held accountable for this 
. they gotta take care of their passengers more than just serving them booze all day long 
. Aguilar's lawsuit is a good start but we need real change here 
. I hope Connie Aguilar gets the justice she deserves 
. Cruise lines need to take better care of their passengers, you know? 
️.
. We should all be paying attention to these kinds of cases so that it doesn't happen again... 
.
and what really gets me is that they're trying to sweep it under the rug by saying it was mechanical asphyxia caused by forceful restraint. no, it sounds like human error to me - a company has a responsibility to look out for its passengers, especially when it comes to excessive drinking. i'm not surprised Aguilar is suing and I hope she gets some justice 
.
yesterday and how they're not really that common in miami, you know? like i saw this tiny one in little havana and it was serving the most amazing Cuban sandwiches 
have you guys ever been to a good food truck festival?