2 Year Old Dragged into Water by Gator at Disney Resort

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New developments: 2 weeks before the incident a Brit family was chased by an alligator at a beach nearby. The sign there said "no swimming" but they were not swimming-just lounging.

Getting chased by an alligator isn't fun. It's also not life threatening. How is that a new development?

It demonstrates notice on the part of Disney, the property owner. Omg could people go to law school and then come back to this thread?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do know that alligators are common in FL but I can imagine letting my guard down in that situation. Disney is such a sanitized, engineered bubble that it really would not have occurred to me to be looking out for gators in the lake, especially since they do promote those beach areas as places for play and activities.

This. Have been to Disney many times and it never occurred to me to ask if there were alligators. We never go near the water at any resort, but I really assumed that Disney controlled/managed their prooerties so tightly that there would never be this tyoe of threat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/tourism/os-disney-alligator-history-20160615-story.html

Another boy was bitten at disney a while back. The article also quotes a father who grabbed his kid away from an approaching gator at disney.

I also found it interesting that a guest warned staff about an alligator on that exact stretch of beach just an hour before that poor.little boy was taken.

Shame on Disney for not clesring the beach or warning the families on tue beach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do know that alligators are common in FL but I can imagine letting my guard down in that situation. Disney is such a sanitized, engineered bubble that it really would not have occurred to me to be looking out for gators in the lake, especially since they do promote those beach areas as places for play and activities.

This. Have been to Disney many times and it never occurred to me to ask if there were alligators. We never go near the water at any resort, but I really assumed that Disney controlled/managed their prooerties so tightly that there would never be this tyoe of threat.

Yes! See my point above about being out at 9:30pm in the dark which I would not do with my kids in downtown DC but would do at Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New developments: 2 weeks before the incident a Brit family was chased by an alligator at a beach nearby. The sign there said "no swimming" but they were not swimming-just lounging.

Getting chased by an alligator isn't fun. It's also not life threatening. How is that a new development?

It demonstrates notice on the part of Disney, the property owner. Omg could people go to law school and then come back to this thread?

Disney diligently removes all large alligators. They are not allowed to remove small ones -- FWC says so. If the standard of care is to remove large alligators, that is what they do. Disney knew there were alligators, they remove them whenever they can.

It's not like the theories of negligence and culpability matter. Disney would pay the family if the family were 100% entirely at fault (which I do not think is the case). Talking about negligence, notice, etc. is beside the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't Disney pull like 5 gators out of that water today?? So it was not just one and they probably were on notice that there were alligators in there. It's one thing to assume alligators are in swamp out in a national park (sorry to have gotten the precise nature of the bodies of water wrong above with my lagoon reference), and still also entirely reasonable to assume that the owner of private property who invited guests onto the property will warn the guests about known dangers. This is pretty basic law-type stuff we are dealing with here. Disney knew about the gators and is going to be on the hook big time.

Alligators can be in any type water and move from place to place. They can go into pools, saltwater, Ect and end up in people's front yards. Even with removal, more gators will find their way in. They don't stay in the swamp in some marked off area.

They are on golf courses all the time.

Florida is to be avoided in general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New developments: 2 weeks before the incident a Brit family was chased by an alligator at a beach nearby. The sign there said "no swimming" but they were not swimming-just lounging.

Getting chased by an alligator isn't fun. It's also not life threatening. How is that a new development?

It demonstrates notice on the part of Disney, the property owner. Omg could people go to law school and then come back to this thread?

Disney diligently removes all large alligators. They are not allowed to remove small ones -- FWC says so. If the standard of care is to remove large alligators, that is what they do. Disney knew there were alligators, they remove them whenever they can.

It's not like the theories of negligence and culpability matter. Disney would pay the family if the family were 100% entirely at fault (which I do not think is the case). Talking about negligence, notice, etc. is beside the point.

Oh thanks! I'm sure Disney won't even bother to involve the lawyers. You should call them and let them know how much to pay and that theories of liability are irrelevant to that calculation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New developments: 2 weeks before the incident a Brit family was chased by an alligator at a beach nearby. The sign there said "no swimming" but they were not swimming-just lounging.

Getting chased by an alligator isn't fun. It's also not life threatening. How is that a new development?

This happened on land, not swimming in the water. More people have come forward and shared frightening encounters with alligators at Disney hotels which could have resulted in a similar tragedy. In all cases there was no specific alligator warning.

In all cases there waas no similar tragedy. A close call does not lead anyone to fear an alligator killing a person. Statistically, it is very rare and unexpected. Getting chased by an alligator or bit by one is more common, but is not life threatening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/tourism/os-disney-alligator-history-20160615-story.html

Another boy was bitten at disney a while back. The article also quotes a father who grabbed his kid away from an approaching gator at disney.

I also found it interesting that a guest warned staff about an alligator on that exact stretch of beach just an hour before that poor.little boy was taken.

Shame on Disney for not clesring the beach or warning the families on tue beach.

Link or it didn't happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do know that alligators are common in FL but I can imagine letting my guard down in that situation. Disney is such a sanitized, engineered bubble that it really would not have occurred to me to be looking out for gators in the lake, especially since they do promote those beach areas as places for play and activities.

Lived in Florida for a long time and completely agree with you, although I've always been aware that they can literally be in any body of water. When we took our kids to Disney, it honestly never occurred to me that there were alligators in the designated recreational areas; and I can certainly understand how a family from Nebraska wouldn't be thinking of that danger. Now that I've read there are approximately 1.3 million alligators roaming Florida, we'll be more careful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New developments: 2 weeks before the incident a Brit family was chased by an alligator at a beach nearby. The sign there said "no swimming" but they were not swimming-just lounging.

Getting chased by an alligator isn't fun. It's also not life threatening. How is that a new development?

Would you please stop? You are being horrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I grew up in Florida and know well that gators are very dangerous. They move like lightening and are not an animal to get near. And they can lurk close to shore. But I only know that from living near the water growing up. I certainly wouldn't expect tourists visiting to know that about gators. A no swimming sign is very different than Warning- Alligators- Do not go in the water. And yes- gators drown their prey. They show no mercy. It's a tragedy and blaming the parents is pretty horrible- haven't they suffered enough?

+1 lived in Florida a long time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/tourism/os-disney-alligator-history-20160615-story.html

Another boy was bitten at disney a while back. The article also quotes a father who grabbed his kid away from an approaching gator at disney.

A while back was 1986, and the boy was at Fort Wilderness, the campground.

[Anonymous]

I have to agree with the others about not really thinking about alligators when I visit Disney/Florida 3 years ago.

This is just heartbreaking.

I cant imagine witnessing my child being taken away and trying to fight back and not being able to get him, and knowing his fate.
I honestly could not go on.

If nothing comes of this I hope better signs are posted, and better systems are in place to warn of gators, maybe like what some places do with sharks.

[Anonymous]

People have unrealistic views of alligators and danger. No, Disney is not going to stop having outdoor activities at night or stop having its water parade. Disney will need to up its education of Florida wildlife to guests.


There's a national park in South Florida called Shark Valley. Every day, visitors ride bikes on a trail with gators sprawled across their path.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=shark+valley+photos+alligators+bikes&view=detailv2&qpvt=shark+valley+photos+alligators+bikes&id=9DB97B43EA72BFCDEA855CC8D552C2079CE1813B&selectedIndex=0&ccid=syQISpUz&simid=608045083854113303&thid=OIP.Mb324084a95333ccd749bdba311ce471eo0&ajaxhist=0