2 Year Old Dragged into Water by Gator at Disney Resort

[Anonymous]

STOP. Close your eyes and imagine your child's sweet face. What if that was your baby? Now, can you hear the gut wrenching cries of that poor mother? We could lose our children any number of ways by any kind of freak accident. This was an ACCIDENT. Stop the bickering. It does nothing to honor this poor baby.

[Anonymous]

The first time I ever stepped foot in Florida was when I was 30 years old and was stationed in Tampa. Obviously I knew alligators existed there but to what degree I had no idea. I was a bit surprised to see alligator warning signs near ponds in shopping areas, residential areas, etc but having never lived in the south it was all new to me. Expecting Disney guests who may be visiting the area for the first time to be aware of the risks, especially at a beach on Disney property, is not reasonable. The sign could have just added a warning about gators but clearly Disney just wanted to leave the generic "no swimming" sign as to not freak anyone out. HIGHLY negligent and they will be paying for that child's death. End of story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently visited Disneyworld and rode a ferry on this very area.

The hotels are beautiful, lovely architecture + all.

And the whole ambiance is just stunning.

I wouldn't think an alligator would be lurking in such a tranquil setting but it IS Florida after all.
However if the lake is man-made then how in the world did an alligator get inside.

I'm from the West Coast so please excuse my ignorance on this!

And people are claiming there are "No Swimming" signs posted & if that is the case, perhaps the parents ignored them or didn't see them.
Or perhaps they witnessed other people swimming and joined.

Regardless this is the second child being taken by an alligator so far this month.

My heart breaks for these families....the pain + sorrow they feel I cannot even imagine.

Poor Orlando too.
They are having a very cursed month so far.

R.I.P. to everyone who has been lost ~ Rest in Paradise ~

No, you're misunderstanding. No one was swimming. The family was NEAR the water at a Disney-sanctioned event. The alligator got out of the water and took the child.

No, you're misunderstanding, the child was in the water, about 1 foot deep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:STOP. Close your eyes and imagine your child's sweet face. What if that was your baby? Now, can you hear the gut wrenching cries of that poor mother? We could lose our children any number of ways by any kind of freak accident. This was an ACCIDENT. Stop the bickering. It does nothing to honor this poor baby.

Agreed. A freak accident that in a million years I would never think to happen and I have been to Disney 20 times and stayed at the Grand Floridian 10 of them. Never would I have thought this could happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if a venomous snake had bitten the child if we'd be having this conversation. That's as likely, if not more, than an alligator attack.

People do get bitten by snakes on Disney property, every once in a great while. No, we would not be having this conversation. Disney has not volunteered to remove snakes from its property and they are small. Disney actively removes alligator from its property. I've talked with cast members about it. Once you voluntarily assume a duty to do something (remove alligators), you have a duty to do it in a non-negligent way.

Also, some British tourists are reporting encountering a gator near there a week or ten days ago. If that is true, Disney should have warned people that there was a gator near that location and closed the beach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How have they not found the boy yet?

The ugly truth is that the Gator may have eaten him. They don't normally actually eat people - the bite can kill, but they rarely actually eat people - but this was a small child.

I'm amazed at the people asking how a Gator got into the lagoon. We have two gators (that I know of) in the man made retention pond in our back yard. Wildlife control will relocate them when they reach 6 feet. Every house on our lake has kids. The kids are outside all the time and know not to play in the water. I worry more about the water moccasins than about the gators.

It's been said so many times in this thread - In Florida you assume all fresh water has gators.

You sound like you are in Florida or somewhere else in the South. When will you understand that the rest of the world is NOT the South and thus we do not have the same concerns? How about this: we do not understand why you cannot drive in the snow. Huh? Why can't you? Why? Why? Why? Any smart person with a brain in their head should be able to do it. Why can't you?

Do you get it now???????

PPP might be in the south, but she is the face of a jury pool, if there is a trial. It is a question that all the jurors would wonder about.

Please, this won't go to trial. Disney doesn't want the headlines. They'll settle quickly and quietly. I would bet that the Disney legal team is putting together an initial offer and non-disclosure agreement right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the father had been armed, he could have shot the gator.

Guns are prohibited on Disney property. My sister works there and takes issue with not being allowed to leave it in her car.

I realize you were probably joking, but someone might believe it. Also, it is in poor taste.

I wasn't joking. I'm not a big gun fan, and I don't own any, but what I said is a true statement. And if I were in the situation that PP described about finding one in the backyard, I would buy a gun and do the same thing. I have three kids to think about.

Let me get this straight. You are at a rental cottage on vacation. You see an alligator on your front porch. And you think that leaving home to buy a gun, then returning home to kill the gator, is your best course of action?

It would be smarter, and safer, to call 911.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, Disney will be held liable. Although there are alligators in Florida, Disney has set up that beach as a place to hang out for young children. Children will put their feet in water. the alligator is completely able to come up on the shore and snack a child. There are no signs that say Danger: alligators. Once it gets in front of a jury -- right or wrong -- they will go crazy with an award. Disney will settle out of court. Disney would look heartless in the media and besides very unsafe. Also it could easily be argued that they knew that alligators could and would go into those lake and that it was their responsibility to keep the alligators removed by whatever means. That will be very difficult, but still it will be the argument. The shorelines of Disney may change forever over this.

The Grand Floridian has been running alligator incident free for almost 30 years. The Grand Floridian is in the middle of Florida. Alligators are very common in Florida.

I think Disney has done a remarkable job at holding back alligators from their property for as long as they have.

Sometimes nature shows us who's boss. That's all that happened here, no one is at fault.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. A "no swimming" sign is not sufficient to cover the risks associated with alligator attacks. That child could have been killed simply walking near the edge of the water.

2. It's not reasonable to expect resort guests coming from Europe, Canada, or yes even Nebraska to know how prevelant alligators are, especially on Disney property where a beach has been set up.

3. Disney was grossly negligent and WILL pay up the a$$ including to this who just witnessed the attack. That's guaranteed.

I disagree. And, I would also say that anyone who doesn't know that Florida has alligators is an imbecile. It's practically the first thing you think of!

Here's the thing - even if you know "Florida has alligators" you may not be familiar with alligator behavior. If a sign says "no swimming", and you make the logic leap that you should not swim due to alligators, you might think your kid is safe WALKING IN LESS THAN A FOOT OF WATER, because that is not swimming. Maybe you think alligators are like sharks - and someone might not swim on account of a shark in the water, but they'd probably walk along the beach and not fear a shark attack. Signage was inadequate and inappropriate to the threat.

I'm really trying to understand this mindset. Alligators are a pretty popular animal. Even if you don't know everything about their behavior, I would argue that the basic stuff is known to ADULTS. I'm really trying to understand this idea that alligators are some weird and mysterious animal.

How familiar do you expect Nebraskans to be with alligator behavior? I had no idea alligators were this aggressive. I thought they mostly left people alone.

Ugh, as much as a Virginian knows to be worried about scorpions? I know that if I'm in the SE, to check my shoes and clothing, even though I've never seen a scorpion. But it is basic common sense.

Is your only experience with crocs is a cuddly stuffed animal? How does someone make it to adulthood not knowing these basic things?

I am convinced that everyone on this thread knows about the dangers but are feigning ignorance to win their point. At least, that's what I'm hoping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, Disney will be held liable. Although there are alligators in Florida, Disney has set up that beach as a place to hang out for young children. Children will put their feet in water. the alligator is completely able to come up on the shore and snack a child. There are no signs that say Danger: alligators. Once it gets in front of a jury -- right or wrong -- they will go crazy with an award. Disney will settle out of court. Disney would look heartless in the media and besides very unsafe. Also it could easily be argued that they knew that alligators could and would go into those lake and that it was their responsibility to keep the alligators removed by whatever means. That will be very difficult, but still it will be the argument. The shorelines of Disney may change forever over this.

If I were a lawyer for Disney, I'd be telling people up and down that the "No swimming" policy is because there is no life guard on duty/drowning risk. I'd act surprised as hell to hear about an alligator attack and cite Jeff Corbin and other wildlife experts who are saying what a rare an odd occurrence this is. They should not even attempt to make the argument that the family was in the wrong. They need to focus on the fact that it was a weird and rare thing that they could not possibly anticipate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if a venomous snake had bitten the child if we'd be having this conversation. That's as likely, if not more, than an alligator attack.

People do get bitten by snakes on Disney property, every once in a great while. No, we would not be having this conversation. Disney has not volunteered to remove snakes from its property and they are small. Disney actively removes alligator from its property. I've talked with cast members about it. Once you voluntarily assume a duty to do something (remove alligators), you have a duty to do it in a non-negligent way.

Also, some British tourists are reporting encountering a gator near there a week or ten days ago. If that is true, Disney should have warned people that there was a gator near that location and closed the beach.

The standard of negligence is not preventing everything, it's preventing many/most things reasonably. Sometimes, accidents happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"They should just put up ALLIGATORS BEWARE signs"

It won't do any good. Alligators can't read.

We need a new law. No alligator left behind

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. A "no swimming" sign is not sufficient to cover the risks associated with alligator attacks. That child could have been killed simply walking near the edge of the water.

2. It's not reasonable to expect resort guests coming from Europe, Canada, or yes even Nebraska to know how prevelant alligators are, especially on Disney property where a beach has been set up.

3. Disney was grossly negligent and WILL pay up the a$$ including to this who just witnessed the attack. That's guaranteed.

Exactly. If the child had slipped into the water while the parents weren't looking (or the parents allowed the child to swim) and he drowned, that would be a different story. But there is zero warning of alligators and Disney is in a much better position than it's guests from all over the world to know what may lurk in the lake. And I highly doubt the child would have been safe even if he had been 6 inches outside the water. Gators will come up on land, especially at night, and snatch small creatures.

What's to say that the child didn't slip into the water and then the gator grabbed him?

[Anonymous]

I just keep thinking about what the family is going through today.

How do you go on parenting your other child (children?) who are there, at Disney, probably wondering why they aren't at the park going on rides right now?

How do you wrap your head around what just happened to your sweet, toddling, two year-old? A f**king alligator just came up out of the water and killed your baby.

How do you fly x-many hours back to Nebraska with one less child?

How do you walk into your house and see your son's bedroom exactly how you left it before you went on your dream vacation only he isn't going to sleep there again?

I don't understand any of it. Heartbreaking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. A "no swimming" sign is not sufficient to cover the risks associated with alligator attacks. That child could have been killed simply walking near the edge of the water.

2. It's not reasonable to expect resort guests coming from Europe, Canada, or yes even Nebraska to know how prevelant alligators are, especially on Disney property where a beach has been set up.

3. Disney was grossly negligent and WILL pay up the a$$ including to this who just witnessed the attack. That's guaranteed.

I disagree. And, I would also say that anyone who doesn't know that Florida has alligators is an imbecile. It's practically the first thing you think of!

Here's the thing - even if you know "Florida has alligators" you may not be familiar with alligator behavior. If a sign says "no swimming", and you make the logic leap that you should not swim due to alligators, you might think your kid is safe WALKING IN LESS THAN A FOOT OF WATER, because that is not swimming. Maybe you think alligators are like sharks - and someone might not swim on account of a shark in the water, but they'd probably walk along the beach and not fear a shark attack. Signage was inadequate and inappropriate to the threat.

I'm really trying to understand this mindset. Alligators are a pretty popular animal. Even if you don't know everything about their behavior, I would argue that the basic stuff is known to ADULTS. I'm really trying to understand this idea that alligators are some weird and mysterious animal.

How familiar do you expect Nebraskans to be with alligator behavior? I had no idea alligators were this aggressive. I thought they mostly left people alone.

Ugh, as much as a Virginian knows to be worried about scorpions? I know that if I'm in the SE, to check my shoes and clothing, even though I've never seen a scorpion. But it is basic common sense.

Is your only experience with crocs is a cuddly stuffed animal? How does someone make it to adulthood not knowing these basic things?

Yes, I in fact have no real-life experience with alligators or crocodiles. Is that crazy to you? There are NO ALLIGATORS WHERE I'M FROM. What you describe is not "common sense" or "basic things", it is specialized knowledge that lots of people do not have.

If there was a sign warning of alligators, that would be one thing. But assuming that people from all over the world know that (1) ALL fresh water in Florida is infested with alligators; (2) alligators will seek out and grab a child even if it is not in the water; and (3) "no swimming" means "don't even go near the water because alligators will eat your kids" is seriously ridiculous.