Grandfather of 1-year-old who fatally fell from Royal Caribbean cruise ship to plead guilty

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21. but i don't get why the ship company should be treated as if none of this is any of their business

1) yes, it's a ship and not a building, but that has nothing to do with the safety issue here. it may have something to do with legal jurisdiction and building codes or the marine equivalent, but it has nothing to do with the safety issue here. there are people, a window, and enough height for a fall to be lethal. the fact that there's a lot of water nearby isn't really relevant in this case.

2) the fact that there was clear negligence on the part of the grandfather also isn't really relevant to whether or not the ship has any responsibility here (though it certainly affects the percentage of responsibility). what's relevant is that it's a preventable death. building codes and such are partly designed with suicides in mind, which also aren't really "accidents". so what? keeping a window closed or having netting installed underneath would have prevented this tragedy, and i don't think it's unreasonable to encourage the ship company to take such precautions.

some tall buildings and some bridges deny people access to places where people might commit suicide or accidentally fall. many have windows that can't be opened at all or have bars on the windows or balconies or nets.

as for setting a "bad precedent"... really? is it really a bad outcome if the ship takes steps to prevent tragedies?