2 Year Old Dragged into Water by Gator at Disney Resort

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Disney bears zero responsibility. This was a wild animal in its natural habitat doing what it does. The signs clearly said no swimming and the kid was in the water at dark.

2. The parents bear very little responsibility. The child was not in deep water, presumably they were keeping their eye on him, they just didn't know about the gator. That is a safe assumption given the attacks are so so so incredibly rare as to not be a really reasonable fear.

3. That said, of course Disney writes a check for PR reasons and institutes preventive policies going forward for PR reasons. Might be a good deal on a new pair of boots coming up with all of the gators that are going to be harvested!

You don't think they bear responsibility for not notifying people that there is a wild animal in its natural habitat? I would never think there would be an alligator in the water on Disney property. Or in a body of water that was so easily accessible anyway.

Would you feel the same if Disney had campgrounds where they knew bears lived and were around and didn't notify people? Just because alligators live in Florida waters doesn't mean everyone knows that.

[Anonymous]

PP, how often do you go to the beach? Are there signs warning you that there is dangerous wildlife in the ocean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, how often do you go to the beach? Are there signs warning you that there is dangerous wildlife in the ocean?

I don't think going into the ocean is at all the same as wading in a man made body of water inside an amusement park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, how often do you go to the beach? Are there signs warning you that there is dangerous wildlife in the ocean?

I'm not the PP, but if you can't tell the difference between a man-made lake INSIDE A THEME PARK and the ocean, I can't help you.

[Anonymous]

PP. It's Florida, and you have no more expectation of not being food for some wild beast on a lakeshore - mandmade or otherwise - than you would in the ocean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, how often do you go to the beach? Are there signs warning you that there is dangerous wildlife in the ocean?

I don't think going into the ocean is at all the same as wading in a man made body of water inside an amusement park.

By the way, I'm the same PP who said I swam in water in Australia that had crocodile warning signs. Had something happened to me then it would have been all on me because I ignored the signs (because my tour guide told me to but that's beside the point). But that was in Kakadu national park in the actual wild habitat of a crocodile. That is NOT the same as being inside Disney World.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, how often do you go to the beach? Are there signs warning you that there is dangerous wildlife in the ocean?

I'm not the PP, but if you can't tell the difference between a man-made lake INSIDE A THEME PARK and the ocean, I can't help you.

Man made doesn't mean it's a swimming pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, how often do you go to the beach? Are there signs warning you that there is dangerous wildlife in the ocean?

I'm not the PP, but if you can't tell the difference between a man-made lake INSIDE A THEME PARK and the ocean, I can't help you.

Man made doesn't mean it's a swimming pool.

So all they had to do was put up signs and make it known that alligators were in there. It's that simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, how often do you go to the beach? Are there signs warning you that there is dangerous wildlife in the ocean?

There are signs about riptides. When there are jellyfish in the water, they notify swimmers. At swimming areas in Florida with lifeguards, they monitor the gators and if they see one moving toward swimmers, they clear the water.

I don't think Disney anticipated this. If they had thought, let's weigh the death of one toddler against scary signs and disrupting the magic, they would have chosen the life of the child. They didn't think it would happen -- that may have been wrong of them, but lots of animal behaviorists have said this was a perfect storm, a freak tragic accident, very very rare. Now Disney will change their signs, possibly make more changes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Disney bears zero responsibility. This was a wild animal in its natural habitat doing what it does. The signs clearly said no swimming and the kid was in the water at dark.

2. The parents bear very little responsibility. The child was not in deep water, presumably they were keeping their eye on him, they just didn't know about the gator. That is a safe assumption given the attacks are so so so incredibly rare as to not be a really reasonable fear.

3. That said, of course Disney writes a check for PR reasons and institutes preventive policies going forward for PR reasons. Might be a good deal on a new pair of boots coming up with all of the gators that are going to be harvested!

People keep saying this. This was NOT a "natural habitat!" This was a habitat created entirely by Disney. It would have been solid land if Disney had not dug the place out, carefully making sure sand that is not natural to Florida (I was born and raised there) was strewn about, and decorative stones placed strategically around the body of water they created.

I am the poster who stayed at the Polynesian a few weeks ago, and our room was a few short yards from the beach. Again, the beach that was created by Disney for their guests. They encouraged children to play in the sand on the beach, parents to lounge on the beach, and had activities that lured people to that beach. In fact, IF Disney had posted signs warning of alligators lurking nearby, I guarantee that all those evening beach activities would end. No more boat light parade. No more outdoor movie on the beach.

And Disney emphasized over and over that the lagoon was man made - just like the ride at the Magic Kingdom where you board a boat and go for a ride in the "jungle." Same exact thing. Only Disney failed to notice deadly alligators and didn't take the time to inform people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP. It's Florida, and you have no more expectation of not being food for some wild beast on a lakeshore - mandmade or otherwise - than you would in the ocean.

As the tort lawyers have pointed out on this thread time and again, a hotel like Disney DOES have a higher burden for the safety of its guests.

[Anonymous]

Lawyer weighs in on Disney's possible liability

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/15/opinions/hotels-may-avoid-liability-alligator-attack-danny-cevallos/index.html

It depends. "Ferae naturae," meaning "animals of a wild nature or disposition," is a legal doctrine -- dating back to the Roman Empire -- in which wild animals are presumed to be owned by no one specifically but by the people generally. Simply put: Under the law, wild animals are unpredictable and uncontrollable.
In Florida, the law does not require a landowner to anticipate the presence of or guard an invitee against harm from wild animals -- or "ferae naturae." This rule does have exceptions; for example, where the owner harbors such animals or has introduced onto his premises wild animals not indigenous to the locality. If wild animals are reduced to private control, confinement and possession, they become private property, which heightens a landowner's exposure to liability when tragedy strikes.

[Anonymous]

Some people are clutching their pearls and wondering how anyone could led their kids wade in the water on that beach. Well, lots of people wade in the water on that beach. People are posting pictures to social media of their kids on that beach:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/morganshanahan/parents-call-upon-the-village-to-support-lane-graves-parents?bffbparents&utm_term=.mejKbzoG4#.peGQ6mBNq

In one of those pictures there are literally dozens of kids playing in the water on that beach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Disney bears zero responsibility. This was a wild animal in its natural habitat doing what it does. The signs clearly said no swimming and the kid was in the water at dark.

2. The parents bear very little responsibility. The child was not in deep water, presumably they were keeping their eye on him, they just didn't know about the gator. That is a safe assumption given the attacks are so so so incredibly rare as to not be a really reasonable fear.

3. That said, of course Disney writes a check for PR reasons and institutes preventive policies going forward for PR reasons. Might be a good deal on a new pair of boots coming up with all of the gators that are going to be harvested!

People keep saying this. This was NOT a "natural habitat!" This was a habitat created entirely by Disney. It would have been solid land if Disney had not dug the place out, carefully making sure sand that is not natural to Florida (I was born and raised there) was strewn about, and decorative stones placed strategically around the body of water they created.

I am the poster who stayed at the Polynesian a few weeks ago, and our room was a few short yards from the beach. Again, the beach that was created by Disney for their guests. They encouraged children to play in the sand on the beach, parents to lounge on the beach, and had activities that lured people to that beach. In fact, IF Disney had posted signs warning of alligators lurking nearby, I guarantee that all those evening beach activities would end. No more boat light parade. No more outdoor movie on the beach.

And Disney emphasized over and over that the lagoon was man made - just like the ride at the Magic Kingdom where you board a boat and go for a ride in the "jungle." Same exact thing. Only Disney failed to notice deadly alligators and didn't take the time to inform people.

Not remotely true. It may be hard for you to imagine, but all those things will resume. There will be more signage, and perhaps other deterrents, but life in Florida is not going to stop because there's wildlife around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
And Disney emphasized over and over that the lagoon was man made - just like the ride at the Magic Kingdom where you board a boat and go for a ride in the "jungle." Same exact thing. Only Disney failed to notice deadly alligators and didn't take the time to inform people.

This! Visitors view that lagoon exactly the same as the "jungle" on a ride. They wouldn't expect an alligator to get them on a ride and didn't expect it in the lagoon either.