2 Year Old Dragged into Water by Gator at Disney Resort

[Anonymous]

Okay, so the child was wading in a few inches of water which could be said to conflict with the "no swimming" sign although I would strenuously argue that those of us from other parts of the country don't think gator when we see those words.

But, what if the child wasn't even wading, but was filling up a bucket with water right at the water's edge to build a sand castle? Would you know not to let your child do that? If the water is so unsafe that a child shouldn't come in contact with it in any way it does seem to me to be an attractive nuisance to build a pretty fake beach and encourage activities on that beach, including at nighttime!!!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:In addition to signs, there should be a fence around the lake.

Oh like we fence off oceans and forests?

Right? People are such idiots. Who needs common sense when someone can build a fence and think for you.

This is private property! Big difference. If you step in quicksand in a forest and die, too bad. If your neighbor has you over for a party and doesn't tell you there is quicksand in the backyard in a place that it looks pretty reasonable to walk near, then your neighbor will be liable if you get sucked in and die. You don't assume the risk in the same way. This concept has developed over centuries and makes a lot of sense.

What if your neighbor had a sign up that said "don't play in the sand" and you did anyway? Because that's what happened here.

"No swimming" often means "no life guard on duty" and not "alligators may eat you if you put your toe in." Also, presumably Disney employees are at the beach for these movie events, so they see kids at the edge of the water at night. Do they not say anything? Putting up an ambiguous sign and then failing to warn when people are ignoring it is doubly bad.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I still don't blame the parents at all, but every time I see that water I'm just amazed people could look at it and think it was safe to play in. Snakes, gators, bugs, etc. Maybe Disney also assumed that everyone understood you don't go in brackish freshwater ponds in Florida, particularly at night? I accept now that many people don't know this but until so many of you said you didn't I thought it was common knowledge, like don't stand under a tree or hold metal in a lightning storm. The no swimming signs if they're updated at all will need to list many reasons besides just gators why you shouldn't be in that water and I just have to think Disney until now held all those to be self evident.

Nope. It was a calculated decision by disney to forego posting warning signs.

I posted earlier a link to disney's signs on the beaches at their private island in castaway cay/bahamas. The signs are big, and they include a laundry list of dangerous sea life (sharks, sea lice, etc.). They are posted by every entrance/path to the beach.

If they are warning people about sharks---which is common knowledge---then why not gators? Particularly since nobody would expect to see a gator in a man made resort area or amusement park.

An island in the Bahamas is not the same as a brackish trash pond in Florida. Give me a break. You're trying to compare two disparate environments.

You are both correct and clueless.

Everybody on the planet realizes there are sharks in the ocean...all oceans...and especially in the Bahamas.

Very few people would imagine that man made lagoons by man made beaches at disney resorts where people are encouraged to gather have gators lurking nearby. That child could have been standing on the shoreline without touching the water and a gator could have snatched him...like in the link posted earlier where a father had to run and scoop up his kid on dry land near that lagoon when a gator quickly came out of nowhere.

Once disney posts real warning signs, nobody will set foot on that beach again.

Being utterly clueless doesn't't stop you, does it? The kid got attacked because he was in the water, he would not have been equally at trick on the sand, o

More than a "very few people" expect alligators to be in ponds in Florida.

Reading this thread makes me realize why there are so many deaths in the national park each year. People really think they have no responsibility for their own welfare.

Exactly. So many clueless idiots who are shocked that wild animals are...in the wild.

But disney isn't a national park. It's the most manufactured tourist destination on the planet.

They put lounge chairs by the lagoon and held events by the water...encouraging people to congregate there. Nobody would congregate there for movies and fireworks after dark if they knew there were gators nearby. Disney knows this, and that's why they opted to not warn people.

What does the park have to do with a large body of water that feeds into other waters of Florida?
What does hosting a night time movie have to do with going into the water at night?
Have you ever been to a beach party at night? Do you think having this party makes the venue liable for anyone who enters the water at night who then gets attacked by a shark?
Where is your evidence that Disney knew about alligators in these waters? It's entirely possible that the water IS safe during the day (boat activity keeps them away) but once the waters calm and nightfall moves in, they come closer to shore to hunt.

It's a manmade lake and beach. If you host a nighttime move on the beach and your audience is primarily made up of little kids, I think you should assume some of them are going to dip their toes in the water. I'm the most overprotective mom around, but I can really imagine this happening to me, except that I might not have let my kids dip their toes in, but they could have gone up to the edge. And, my reason for not letting them put their feet in would have been just a concern that the water was dirty/contaminated which I thought is what I had read about it before and why I thought you couldn't swim. (We've gone to Disney during colder weather so those beaches have not been a place where we've spent time although we did recently stay at one of the hotels on that lake) I actually spend a good bit of time visiting family in FL and have heard of gators being found in manmade lakes in communities where family lives but have always heard the gator is relocated after they spot one. If I had thought about it, I would have thought Disney does the same.

I certainly wouldn't have thought there could double digit numbers of alligators in that lake. Leaving aside swimming, I think you can rent kayaks and so forth for that lake. I would never do that now.

The lake being man-made means nothing. Surely you get that by now.
And, no, I don't think Disney should assume that parents would let their children in waters after nightfall, IN FLORIDA.
You can relocate a gator, if found. But, first you have to know it's there. There's no proof that Disney knew they were there.
Daytime boating activity keeps the water too rough for gators to move in. Nightfall, when the activity stops and the waters calm is another matter.

[Anonymous]

Disney will have to spend millions in public relations to restore its name as the 'safest place on earth.' I, personally, will never think of Disney the same way again.

And as far as some of you blaming the parents, I'll say it for them....kiss my ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, so the child was wading in a few inches of water which could be said to conflict with the "no swimming" sign although I would strenuously argue that those of us from other parts of the country don't think gator when we see those words.

But, what if the child wasn't even wading, but was filling up a bucket with water right at the water's edge to build a sand castle? Would you know not to let your child do that? If the water is so unsafe that a child shouldn't come in contact with it in any way it does seem to me to be an attractive nuisance to build a pretty fake beach and encourage activities on that beach, including at nighttime!!!

Look at the pictures of that water. Murky, muddy, standing water in a tropical climate. HELL NO I would not let my kid fill up a water bucket or dip their toes in it anymore than I would let them play in an open sewage reservior just because it had water in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reposting with proper quotes :

Anonymous wrote:

What does the park have to do with a large body of water that feeds into other waters of Florida?
What does hosting a night time movie have to do with going into the water at night?
Have you ever been to a beach party at night? Do you think having this party makes the venue liable for anyone who enters the water at night who then gets attacked by a shark?
Where is your evidence that Disney knew about alligators in these waters? It's entirely possible that the water IS safe during the day (boat activity keeps them away) but once the waters calm and nightfall moves in, they come closer to shore to hunt.

Disney owns the land. They built the lake. The only boats in it are driven by Disney employees. The ferry is on a track, actually.

Also, Disney removes alligators from their guest areas routinely. They knew alligators were around.

They built a lake and then built a resort area on the lake. In a place that is crawling with alligators. It's amazing that it took this long for something bad to happen with a Disney guest and an alligator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Disney will have to spend millions in public relations to restore its name as the 'safest place on earth.' I, personally, will never think of Disney the same way again.

And as far as some of you blaming the parents, I'll say it for them....kiss my ass.

Nobody ever calles Disney the safest place on earth, what are you smoking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In addition to signs, there should be a fence around the lake.

Oh like we fence off oceans and forests?

Right? People are such idiots. Who needs common sense when someone can build a fence and think for you.

This is private property! Big difference. If you step in quicksand in a forest and die, too bad. If your neighbor has you over for a party and doesn't tell you there is quicksand in the backyard in a place that it looks pretty reasonable to walk near, then your neighbor will be liable if you get sucked in and die. You don't assume the risk in the same way. This concept has developed over centuries and makes a lot of sense.

Private property but the water feeds into other bodies of water in Florida which are NOT private. Why don't you get that?

And, using your analogy, if your neighbor doesn't tell you about quicksand but says not to walk in a certain area and you do, it's your fault. Your list of dangers don't have to be itemized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if BOTH kids were in the play pen and the 2 year old climbed out somehow. The parents thought he was safe ...

I thought about that, too.

And I wondered if the family knew about the gators---maybe they had heard about it or seen one---and that's why they brought the playpen?
Because I've never seen someone bring a playpen to such an event. Maybe they knew their toddler was a runner, and that's why they brought the playpen?

Doubtful. They probably thought the 2 year old might get sleepy at the movie and might lie down and go to sleep. I don't think the 2 year old ran off here. It sounds like he wanted to go down to the water and dad went with him.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:^ a man made lake at Disney World is not in the wild!

Nature disagrees. Animals and bacteria are not repelled from a standing freshwater source because it happens to be on Disney property.

In Florida Gators are in man-made lakes, golf courses and backyard swimming pools at times. Man-made means nothing to gators.

Maybe. But I think of Disney as a place where everything is controlled. Not a risk I would have worried about there. Very different from going to a random lake in Fl.

Well that's illogical thinking and it's how something like this happens. Gators don't know what the fuck Disney is and that they should avoid it.

Not to mention, there are stories of people feeding these gators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In addition to signs, there should be a fence around the lake.

Oh like we fence off oceans and forests?

Right? People are such idiots. Who needs common sense when someone can build a fence and think for you.

This is private property! Big difference. If you step in quicksand in a forest and die, too bad. If your neighbor has you over for a party and doesn't tell you there is quicksand in the backyard in a place that it looks pretty reasonable to walk near, then your neighbor will be liable if you get sucked in and die. You don't assume the risk in the same way. This concept has developed over centuries and makes a lot of sense.

What if your neighbor had a sign up that said "don't play in the sand" and you did anyway? Because that's what happened here.

"No swimming" often means "no life guard on duty" and not "alligators may eat you if you put your toe in." Also, presumably Disney employees are at the beach for these movie events, so they see kids at the edge of the water at night. Do they not say anything? Putting up an ambiguous sign and then failing to warn when people are ignoring it is doubly bad.

Wrong. No swimming means don't swim. No reasons are implied. You choose to ignore, it's against posted warnings not to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Disney will have to spend millions in public relations to restore its name as the 'safest place on earth.' I, personally, will never think of Disney the same way again.

And as far as some of you blaming the parents, I'll say it for them....kiss my ass.

Really? I don't blame them. I don't blame the parents either. Tragic accident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In addition to signs, there should be a fence around the lake.

Oh like we fence off oceans and forests?

This thread shows how many really dumb people post to this forum.

Agreed. I don't want to hear another asshole brag about being a Ivy League/high IQ whatever. Simpletons.

[Anonymous]

All arguments aside about what Disney was obligated to do, I just have to believe that posted alligator warnings at that beach would have saved this kid's life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:^ a man made lake at Disney World is not in the wild!

Nature disagrees. Animals and bacteria are not repelled from a standing freshwater source because it happens to be on Disney property.

In Florida Gators are in man-made lakes, golf courses and backyard swimming pools at times. Man-made means nothing to gators.

Maybe. But I think of Disney as a place where everything is controlled. Not a risk I would have worried about there. Very different from going to a random lake in Fl.

Well that's illogical thinking and it's how something like this happens. Gators don't know what the fuck Disney is and that they should avoid it.

Not to mention, there are stories of people feeding these gators.

Yes I heard mentioned that this particular gator might have become accustomed to people because of people feeding it.... Please don't feed the wildlife!