Alligator drags child into water at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort

[ABQCOWBOY]

Yikes 7 ft+!? They said the kid hasn't been found yet, although it's likely the kid will be found dead, I hope by some miracle he is still alive.

Would I be so bold to expect a lawsuit since having the 7 ft+ gator (knowingly or not) in the resort lagoon is against policy?

You really can't control the size of Gators in an area like that very easily. It is the policy to remove Gators larger then 4 ft. but there is no guarantee you are going to find every Gator that might be larger then 4 ft. I don't know that you could win a suit, based on this. However, you might be able to win one because there are no signs posted, warning guest of the threat. No "Beware of Gators", just no swimming posted, as I understand it.

 

[JohnsKey19]

So sad, but I keep coming back to A.)

I don't have kids, but who doesn't think of the consequences of A?

I'm seriously asking any Parents here.

I would not let my 2 year old wander into the lagoon even just to dip his feet. But the last thing the parents were expecting i'm sure was a lurking alligator. Apparently there was no sign nearby warning of alligators. With them being from Nebraska, perhaps they were completely ignorant to even the remote possibility of an alligator being there.

This could've easily happened to anyone, not just a 2 year old. Sad story. Just terrible.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

1. No signage that there are alligators is inexcusable. Disney has people coming from all over.
2. Just heard they are going to put together a "review panel" to determine if putting up signs is a good idea,


I swear... Bureaucracy and what has become lazy process is inexcusable.

 

[JoeKing]

What we have here is failure to communicate. The warning signs said stay out of the water, to some that may just sound like a dare to do just the opposite. A much more effective deterrent would have been for the signs to inform people what is in the water. Warning of man eating gators versus stay out of the water. Which is more of a deterrent to you?

 

[Tabascocat]

What we have here is failure to communicate. The warning signs said stay out of the water, to some that may just sound like a dare to do just the opposite. A much more effective deterrent would have been for the signs to inform people what is in the water. Warning of man eating gators versus stay out of the water. Which is more of a deterrent to you?

Common sense is lost on most

 

[DFWJC]

There will be a giant settlement here.

On one hand--although I feel completely horrible for the parents...sick in fact--come on, 9pm at night, the nearest person is 40-50 feet away while your two year old in the water? That is terrible.

Then on the other hand, it is the obvious that there should have been signage saying there are gators in the water.

Disney does not want this to go on and be too public. Best to settle asap.

 

[Silver Surfer]

1. Disney has people coming from all over.
2. Just heard they are going to put together a "review panel" to determine if putting up signs is a good idea,

Anybody think the "review panel" is there to do anything other than assess their liability in this case and their potential future liabilities?

I'm guessing the only gator you'll see in Disney in the future will be a stuffed animal in the souvenir shop. Hyperbole, yes, but you get my point.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Anybody think the "review panel" is there to do anything other than assess their liability in this case and their potential future liabilities?

I'm guessing the only gator you'll see in Disney in the future will be a stuffed animal in the souvenir shop. Hyperbole, yes, but you get my point.

I hear you but it was said, "to see if signage is a good idea" basically.
I'm not referring to legal side.

 

[Passepartout]

Really there should had been a sign that says, no lurking and no swimming over in the water in the first place.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Really there should had been a sign that says, no lurking and no swimming over in the water in the first place.

I think there was a No Swimming sign. The issue is people are wondering if they're gonna sue since there wasn't a Watch Out For Gators sign... If you ask me, it shouldn't matter. If there's a red button with a Do Not Press sign and I'm dumb enough to press it, I'm not gonna complain that there wasn't an additional sign explaining why not to press it... Now it wouldn't have made a difference for the child what the sign said, but the parents should be expected to take any warning signs seriously.

 

[iceberg]

Really there should had been a sign that says, no lurking and no swimming over in the water in the first place.

if there should have been, and this sign would prevent this from happening, and the lack of the sign is the reason it did (lord knows we all read and pay attention to signs, i mean look at STOP signs and see how many come to a STOP there) - then how come since Disney started is this the first gator attack to have happened?

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

if there should have been, and this sign would prevent this from happening, and the lack of the sign is the reason it did (lord knows we all read and pay attention to signs, i mean look at STOP signs and see how many come to a STOP there) - then how come since Disney started is this the first gator attack to have happened?

the whole set up at this hotel with an expansive beach on the lagoon is curious. With its beach chairs all about, the resort being a destination for children and an inviting water side, we now know is alligator infested, is a recipe for disaster and I'm amazed this hadn't happen before.Yes one could say its a parents responsibility to watch their children but those who have know kids gravitate to the water at a beach.

Wading in the water is not swimming. A child playing with beach toys at the waters edge while a parent closely watches from 10 feet away one would think is enough......alligators are pretty proficient out of the water too where you could be at the waters edge with one of these things lurking to snap. That's very much how they hunt their pray. I'm scratching my head how this set up makes sense.

 

[Denim Chicken]

This is a picture of the lagoon. Not somewhere that scream alligator infestation, especially inside a theme park:

 

[Denim Chicken]

I think there was a No Swimming sign. The issue is people are wondering if they're gonna sue since there wasn't a Watch Out For Gators sign... If you ask me, it shouldn't matter. If there's a red button with a Do Not Press sign and I'm dumb enough to press it, I'm not gonna complain that there wasn't an additional sign explaining why not to press it... Now it wouldn't have made a difference for the child what the sign said, but the parents should be expected to take any warning signs seriously.

A simple no swimming sign can be found near a water fountain.

If they had an infestation of venomous snakes, would a simple "keep of the grass" sign suffice?

 

[65fastback2plus2]

So sad, but I keep coming back to A.)

I don't have kids, but who doesn't think of the consequences of A?

I'm seriously asking any Parents here.

My wife and I have a 14-month old daughter...we dont let her out of sight even in our home which is completely safe.

Kids challenge stuff constantly and even in safe environments can get severely injured.

 

[65fastback2plus2]

A simple no swimming sign can be found near a water fountain.

If they had an infestation of venomous snakes, would a simple "keep of the grass" sign suffice?

you shouldnt need ANY warning signs for animals. They are animals...they'll get where they arent supposed to and they'll be animals and damage stuff and injure/kill people.

An animal isnt anyone's fault but nature's. Sue nature and see what they pay.

 

[Denim Chicken]

you shouldnt need ANY warning signs for animals. They are animals...they'll get where they arent supposed to and they'll be animals and damage stuff and injure/kill people.

An animal isnt anyone's fault but nature's. Sue nature and see what they pay.

That's a great sentiment, but the realization is this is a resort not the outback. That's why they have cages at the zoo.

 

[TheCount]

1. No signage that there are alligators is inexcusable. Disney has people coming from all over.
2. Just heard they are going to put together a "review panel" to determine if putting up signs is a good idea,


I swear... Bureaucracy and what has become lazy process is inexcusable.

I don't think the review panel is to determine if putting up signs is a good idea, they know it is. It's to determine if putting up signs now is an admission of guilt in a potential lawsuit.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

the whole set up at this hotel with an expansive beach on the lagoon is curious. With its beach chairs all about, the resort being a destination for children and an inviting water side, we now know is alligator infested, is a recipe for disaster and I'm amazed this hadn't happen before.Yes one could say its a parents responsibility to watch their children but those who have know kids gravitate to the water at a beach.

Wading in the water is not swimming. A child playing with beach toys at the waters edge while a parent closely watches from 10 feet away one would think is enough......alligators are pretty proficient out of the water too where you could be at the waters edge with one of these things lurking to snap. That's very much how they hunt their pray. I'm scratching my head how this set up makes sense.

You could easily say it is the parents responsibility because it is. The child could just as easily have drowned as been taken by a Gator and that is the Parent's responsibility. It just so happens that it was a Gator instead, which is really very rare. Don't get me wrong, Disney is probably going to pay out the rear end for this but to me, this is the fault of the Parents. They should not be leaving their two year old kid to wonder around at night, near any body of water, much less a lake with Gators. To me, this is 100% the fault of the parents but it won't matter. Disney will settle before the legal system ever gets involved in this because a public trial will be much more costly to them then will a settlement. JMO

 

[65fastback2plus2]

That's a great sentiment, but the realization is this is a resort not the outback. That's why they have cages at the zoo.

How about we trust people with more experience: http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/16/us/airboat-captain-disney-gators/index.html

Stuff happens with animals: http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/16/us/airboat-captain-disney-gators/index.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...around-florida-old-peoples-home-a7070306.html