{"id":78578,"date":"2025-12-10T16:26:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T16:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/78578\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T16:26:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T16:26:08","slug":"miami-based-royal-caribbean-sued-over-cruise-death-after-man-allegedly-served-33-drinks-tackled-by-crew-wsvn-7news-miami-news-weather-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/78578\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami-based Royal Caribbean sued over cruise death after man allegedly served 33 drinks, tackled by crew – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

The fiancee of a man who died on a cruise ship has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Royal Caribbean, alleging it negligently served him at least 33 alcoholic drinks and was liable for his death after crew members tackled him to the ground and stood on him with their full body weight.<\/p>\n

Connie Aguilar\u2019s lawsuit for the death of 35-year-old Michael Virgil seeks unspecified damages and a jury trial. Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Aguilar and Virgil were on a roundtrip voyage from Los Angeles to Ensenada, Mexico, with other members of their family, including their son, at the time of Virgil\u2019s death in December 2024, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n

Crew members on board Navigator of the Seas served Virgil more than two dozen drinks, after which he got lost and became agitated trying to find his room, it said. That\u2019s when crew members tackled him and stood on him with their full weight, the lawsuit charges. They subjected him to prolonged prone restraint, compressed his back and torso, and impaired his breathing, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n

At the captain\u2019s request, crew members administered a sedative and sprayed him with pepper spray, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n

This treatment led to respiratory failure, cardiac arrest and Virgil\u2019s death, it continued.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide. It said Virgil died from the combined effects of mechanical asphyxia, which is when force or an object blocks breathing; obesity; an enlarged heart and alcohol intoxication.<\/p>\n

Video shot by passenger Christopher McHale and\u00a0obtained by KTTV<\/a>\u00a0of Los Angeles shows Virgil in a narrow hallway kicking a door.<\/p>\n

A KTTV report said Virgil screamed profanities, threatened to kill McHale and a crew member and chased them down a hallway. McHale said the crew member locked himself in a towel room, which Virgil then tried to kick down.<\/p>\n

The video captures security guards and others eventually holding Virgil down on the floor.<\/p>\n

McHale said nobody deserved to die the way Virgil did.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just needed some help,\u201d McHale said.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit said crew members should not have served Virgil alcohol because he \u201cexhibited obvious visual signs of intoxication\u201d and were negligent for doing so, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n

Maritime common law requires carriers like Royal Caribbean to \u201csupervise and assist passengers likely to engage in behavior dangerous to themselves or others,\u201d the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n

Royal Caribbean also failed to exercise its right to stop serving alcohol to Virgil to protect his life, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s ships, it added, are deliberately designed to ensure there are alcohol-serving stations \u201cin every nook and cranny\u201d and the company \u201cdoes as much as possible to encourage and facilitate alcohol consumption\u201d on board.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit said medical personnel on board lacked proper education, licenses, experience and skills and it failed to properly train crew members to assess when to stop serving a passenger.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in Miami, where Royal Caribbean, the world\u2019s second largest cruise company, has its headquarters.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n

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