Michael Virgil, 35, died on board the Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas cruise liner after being restrained following a violent outburst – his family are now suing the firm
A dad who died on a cruise after attacking fellow passengers was served 33 alcoholic drinks in a single day, his family claim.
Michael Virgil, 35, died on board Royal Caribbean‘s Navigator of the Seas cruise liner last year, after crew allegedly restrained him with sedatives and pepper spray when he became aggressive and violent. His family, who are now suing the cruise line, claim bar staff repeatedly served him drinks despite obvious signs of intoxication.
Mr Virgil, from Moreno Valley, California, was with his fiancée, Connie Aguilar, and their seven-year-old son when he launched into the foul-mouthed tirade just hours after boarding the cruise.
Some passengers reported hearing him use racial epithets during the outburst, and when he began threatening other passengers and attacking crew members, security put him into custody using a combination of cable ties, handcuffs, and pepper spray.
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Photographs show multiple members of staff appearing to pin him to the ground in a corridor. Mr Virgil was pronounced dead around an hour after being detained, and found to have suffered a cardiac arrest.
His family members claim he was given a sedative injection while in custody – and are blaming the cruise line for continuing to serve him alcohol despite him showing clear signs of inebriation.
US attorney Kevin Haynes told FOX 11’s Phil Shuman: “They have a legal duty not to do so. And if you’re serving someone 25, 30-plus drinks, in no world could you not see that the person is intoxicated.
“Once they created that situation, he acted out. He did not act as a normal person would. Clearly he was intoxicated. He is not a big drinker. He was known by his family as a gentle giant.”
Mr Haynes claims staff “physically restrained him with five people physically on top of him” resulting in a “mechanical asphyxiation”, similar to the fate suffered by George Floyd when policeman Derek Chauvin held his knee on his neck in 2020.
“It’s the same kind of concept that George Floyd suffered, except in this case, it persisted for three minutes, and there were other factors at play that causes death,” the attorney said.
Royal Caribbean said in a statement to US media: “We were saddened by the passing of one of our guests, worked with authorities on their investigation, and will refrain from commenting any further on pending litigation.”