A passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise died after allegedly consuming a significant amount of alcohol, and the crew’s response has come under scrutiny. According to the family’s lawyer, the crew placed Michael Virgil’s body in a refrigerator and continued their voyage.
Michael Virgil, a 35-year-old father from California, reportedly consumed 33 drinks at one of the ship’s bars on the day he passed away in December 2024, as noted in a wrongful death lawsuit initiated by his fiancée.
An autopsy report reviewed by the Daily Mail indicated that Virgil, who died while being held by cruise security after displaying erratic behavior, had a blood-alcohol level between 0.182 and 0.186 percent—nearly double the legal limit for driving.
His fiancée, Connie Aguilar, alleges that crew members administered sedatives after an altercation resulted in his death. Traveling with her fiancé and their 7-year-old autistic son, she reportedly pleaded with authorities to return to Long Beach following the incident, but the cruise line refused, according to her attorney.
Attorney Kevin Haynes shared, “They wouldn’t do that. They put Michael in the fridge and continued cruising for several days.”
The lawsuit claims Virgil became aggressive after being served close to 30 drinks under the ship’s unlimited alcohol plan, though it’s unclear how many he actually consumed. Following his departure from the bar, he was said to have become furious when he couldn’t locate a room, leading to him confronting crew members and fellow passengers with threats.
According to the complaint, the crew physically subdued Virgil, applying their full weight on him, and then injected him with haloperidol while also using multiple cans of pepper spray.
After being restrained for approximately three minutes, he was handcuffed and taken to the ship’s medical center while still breathing, as detailed by an autopsy report from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
While officials remarked that Virgil’s blood alcohol level wasn’t lethal by itself, they acknowledged that alcohol can disrupt breathing and worsen responses during situations of restraint.
Virgil’s cause of death was noted as “severe hypoxia and impaired ventilation, respiratory failure, cardiovascular instability, and ultimately cardiopulmonary arrest,” which the lawsuit categorizes as a homicide.
Haynes mentioned, “The first domino that caused his death was mechanical asphyxia, where around five or more Royal Caribbean employees attempted to restrain him with their full weight for three minutes.”
He drew a parallel between this incident and the death of George Floyd, stating, “It’s similar in the sense that they were holding someone down against their will, restraining them and making them unable to breathe.”
