A passenger’s death after he was allegedly served at the very least 33 drinks and later restrained on his family cruise has been ‘ruled a homicide’, in response to a lawsuit.
Michael Virgil, 35, died aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas that sailed from Los Angeles to Mexico On December 13, 2024.
His fiancée, Connie Aguilar, and their seven-year-old autistic son were also aboard the ship.
A lawsuit filed by Michael’s family alleges he was given drinks at a bar on the cruise last December before he went on a drunken rampage that was caught on camera.
Christopher McHale, a fellow cruise passenger who filmed the erratic behaviour, told Fox 11 News that just an hour after departing from a port, Michael got off the elevator on the flawed floor.
The footage showed Michael within the hallway yelling, screaming profanities and attempting to kick a door in.
At one point, he takes off his shirt as a crowd of passengers gathered within the hallway to witness the chaotic scene.
Witnesses claimed Michael allegedly assaulted multiple crew members and threatened to kill passengers before the cruise’s security intervened, Fox 11 reported.
The lawsuit says that trouble began moments after the family boarded the cruise and learned their room was not ready.
It also claimed that the cruise line didn’t intervene to ‘protect’ Michael’s life, stating: ‘In any respect relevant times hereto, Royal Caribbean had the proper to refuse the continued service of alcohol to any patron visibly intoxicated.’
The filed lawsuit says that, when security moved in, crew members tackled him and ‘stood on [him] with their full body weight,’ making it difficult for Michael to maneuver.
It is usually alleged that the ship’s captain ordered that he be injected with the sedative Haloperidol, and that ‘multiple cans’ of pepper spray were used.
In accordance with the NHS, Haloperidol is an antipsychotic medicine which will help with feelings of tension and other symptoms of mental health conditions.
Inside hours of being restrained, Michael died, in response to the filing.
(Picture: FOX11)
The wrongful-death suit seeks damages including lack of support, inheritance, further earnings, funeral and medical expenses, and mental pain and suffering.
Family attorney Kevin Haynes said in an announcement: ‘Michael’s family has suffered unimaginable heartache and torment brought on by Royal Caribbean, a mega cruise line that prioritizes profit over passenger safety.
‘It is vitally clear that Royal Caribbean is totally negligent within the hiring, training and supervision of its vast fleet of maritime employees.
‘What was purported to be an exquisite family vacation got here to an unimaginably tragic end resulting from the reprehensible way the situation – that ought to have never occurred – was handled.
‘We’re seeing an incredibly alarming number of significant injuries and fatalities on cruise ships of late.
‘Our goal is to force systemic change in the best way this industry operates to make sure that no one or family experiences tragedy like this again.’
Metro has contacted Royal Caribbean for comment.
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