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

[Seven]

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

Twenty bucks for the first two year old that cold read it..............his parents lost eye contact for the amount of time it took to be taken by an alligator.

The signage would not have helped. It's a band-aid at best.

It's worse than the worse nightmare.

When I took my kids to the zoo or an amusement park, somewhere I might lose focus with all the attractions, we'd have walkie talkies.

Yeah, I got some weird looks but it works. Plus it turned into a game kinda and there was constant contact. Not saying it's fool proof, but then nothing is when it comes to small children.

Horrible set of circumstances.............my God.

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

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

I hear you but also think it's a leap to assume the parents left their kid to wonder. For all we know, they could have been right next to him or even holding his hand when this occurred. As another poster said, this is a resort, not the outback and for a parent to have foreseen this I don't believe is reasonable. JMO too. I'm sure the entire area is heavily monitored by CCTV and this situation is all captured on video. If this lagoon has alligators in such close proximity to resort guests, I don't think guests should be permitted to be in that risk situation. It could have just as easily been an adult that was preyed on by this gator.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I hear you but also think it's a leap to assume the parents left their kid to wonder. For all we know, they could have been right next to him or even holding his hand when this occurred. As another poster said, this is a resort, not the outback and for a parent to have foreseen this I don't believe is reasonable. JMO too. I'm sure the entire area is heavily monitored by CCTV and this situation is all captured on video. If this lagoon has alligators in such close proximity to resort guests, I don't think guests should be permitted to be in that risk situation. It could have just as easily been an adult that was preyed on by this gator.

I believe that eye witnesses said that the child was alone, playing in approximately a foot of water. Eye witnesses said that both the Father and the Mother both entered the water to try and save the child but it was too late. How far away were they? I don't know but obviously, they were not close enough to see a 7 foot Gator get close enough to this child in a foot of water to save the boy. Gators move fast but that lake is probably very shallow as you come into the bank. If it is not and it gets deep fast from a foot of water, deep enough for a Gator to get close and strike fast, then that's even worse because the child cold have easily drowned if it went any further into the water unattended. Their other child, the 4 year old, was in a pen of some sort but this child, he was unattended at the time. To be honest, I would be much more sympathetic had the child been taken during the day. I could see that. I could see where a child might be taken and the parents just not close enough to prevent it but at 10 - 11 o'clock at night, no. That child had no business being out that late, unattended. JMO

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

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.

What they said and what they do is ALWAYS two different things.

And.... Make no mistake about it.... They are going to pay out... And that will be guilt. Whether it's said or not doesn't matter.

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

I believe that eye witnesses said that the child was alone, playing in approximately a foot of water. Eye witnesses said that both the Father and the Mother both entered the water to try and save the child but it was too late. How far away were they? I don't know but obviously, they were not close enough to see a 7 foot Gator get close enough to this child in a foot of water to save the boy. Gators move fast but that lake is probably very shallow as you come into the bank. If it is not and it gets deep fast from a foot of water, deep enough for a Gator to get close and strike fast, then that's even worse because the child cold have easily drowned if it went any further into the water unattended. Their other child, the 4 year old, was in a pen of some sort but this child, he was unattended at the time. To be honest, I would be much more sympathetic had the child been taken during the day. I could see that. I could see where a child might be taken and the parents just not close enough to prevent it but at 10 - 11 o'clock at night, no. That child had no business being out that late, unattended. JMO

Your explanation is accurate from what I read. Like a ocean beach is closed when there are shark sightings, this beach should not have been accessible to guests if Disney was aware there were gators in the waters. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this whole beach/lagoon set up is odd and this alligator could have just as easily grabbed an adult. I believe I read that 5 or 6 alligators of 7+ ft size were removed from the surrounding waters during the search. If the parents were 10, 20 or 30 feet away, yes, not the best parenting but I don't see it reasonable to expect them to foresee an alligator snatching their kid while vacationing at a Disney resort.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Your explanation is accurate from what I read. Like a ocean beach is closed when there are shark sightings, this beach should not have been accessible to guests if Disney was aware there were gators in the waters. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this whole beach/lagoon set up is odd and this alligator could have just as easily grabbed an adult. I believe I read that 5 or 6 alligators of 7+ ft size were removed from the surrounding waters during the search. If the parents were 10, 20 or 30 feet away, yes, not the best parenting but I don't see it reasonable to expect them to foresee an alligator snatching their kid while vacationing at a Disney resort.

If the parents were close, they could have pulled that child out from the water before the Gator got to the child. Gators are fast but on approach, you can see them in the water, especially in a shallows. They can't come up from deep water like a Shark might. They move fast once they strike but not fast enough that you can't see them in shallow water. These parents had no business leaving that boy. 10 or 15 feet away, with a 2 year old child in the water at 10 PM at night, does that really sound like good parenting to you? Why would you even have a 2 year old child in the water at 10 -11 at night? Doesn't that child be long in bed at that time? Disney will pay but this boy is dead because those parents used little to no common sense IMO. Based on what I have read, I see no reason for a small child to be in that situation. It's just my opinion but I see these parents as negligible.

It's such a terrible story.

 

[65fastback2plus2]

Im going to patent:

Should make a killing soon

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

If the parents were close, they could have pulled that child out from the water before the Gator got to the child. Gators are fast but on approach, you can see them in the water, especially in a shallows. They can't come up from deep water like a Shark might. They move fast once they strike but not fast enough that you can't see them in shallow water. These parents had no business leaving that boy. 10 or 15 feet away, with a 2 year old child in the water at 10 PM at night, does that really sound like good parenting to you? Why would you even have a 2 year old child in the water at 10 -11 at night? Doesn't that child be long in bed at that time? Disney will pay but this boy is dead because those parents used little to no common sense IMO. Based on what I have read, I see no reason for a small child to be in that situation. It's just my opinion but I see these parents as negligible.

It's such a terrible story.

agreed in that I don't see it as the best parenting and if the child had drowned, I would fully agree with you. However and in this case, I would never think a Disney resort would be "use our facilities at your own risk". I don't fully see the relevance of how far the parents were from the child - in no scenario would I think a parent would need to calculate their distance in order to allow them the time to react/respond to an alligator grabbing their kid while on this Disney resort beach. Yes horrible story and very very surprised it hadn't happened sooner. Something must have changed in their process to manage the gator population.

 

[65fastback2plus2]

Here's how i see it as far as parenting. A kid got snatched.

Do we need every single place we go to put up "warning, watch your kid, child snatchers could be present?"

 

[iceberg]

Your explanation is accurate from what I read. Like a ocean beach is closed when there are shark sightings, this beach should not have been accessible to guests if Disney was aware there were gators in the waters. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this whole beach/lagoon set up is odd and this alligator could have just as easily grabbed an adult. I believe I read that 5 or 6 alligators of 7+ ft size were removed from the surrounding waters during the search. If the parents were 10, 20 or 30 feet away, yes, not the best parenting but I don't see it reasonable to expect them to foresee an alligator snatching their kid while vacationing at a Disney resort.

and i don't think it's reasonable to go to florida and think someone else will take care of the wildlife for you.

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

and i don't think it's reasonable to go to florida and think someone else will take care of the wildlife for you.

That is a good point. I lived in south FL for a few years and was always cautions while around bodies of water for this very reason. However, we're talking people coming from all over the world who aren't aware of such dangers. They're in vacation mode in the pristine confines of Disney World. What I'm saying is that I don't think it makes sense at all for Disney to have amenities for their guests that carry such a risk. Gators are very stealthy, their entire hunting style is based on ambush and surprise......why have a beach for families with children to meander on where these things could be lurking only a foot or two away.

 

[TheCount]

What they said and what they do is ALWAYS two different things.

And.... Make no mistake about it.... They are going to pay out... And that will be guilt. Whether it's said or not doesn't matter.

Guilt of what?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

That is a good point. I lived in south FL for a few years and was always cautions while around bodies of water for this very reason. However, we're talking people coming from all over the world who aren't aware of such dangers. They're in vacation mode in the pristine confines of Disney World. What I'm saying is that I don't think it makes sense at all for Disney to have amenities for their guests that carry such a risk. Gators are very stealthy, their entire hunting style is based on ambush and surprise......why have a beach for families with children to meander on where these things could be lurking only a foot or two away.

This is reasonable. I mean, Disney should know that it's a risk. As I posted earlier, if they are going to get sued, I believe it will be for not posting sufficient warnings. I don't believe it will be because they didn't remove the Gators over 4 feet. I also lived in Florida for a while and know the dangers of Gators. I think the point of people coming in from all over the world is reasonable. I don't think that anybody from the U.S., even Nebraska, should be ignorant of the fact that Gators are a risk in that part of the country. That's a pretty well known fact for anybody who has lived in the U.S. for any length of time IMO.

Doesn't really matter, those parents will have to deal with this for the rest of their lives. That's not something I would wish on anybody.

 

[JoeKing]

When a family from Nebraska comes to Disney World for fun, I don't think they are thinking about the danger of alligators but they should. Florida needs to do a better job of warning tourist of the dangerous indigenous wildlife there.

 

[65fastback2plus2]

This is reasonable. I mean, Disney should know that it's a risk. As I posted earlier, if they are going to get sued, I believe it will be for not posting sufficient warnings. I don't believe it will be because they didn't remove the Gators over 4 feet. I also lived in Florida for a while and know the dangers of Gators. I think the point of people coming in from all over the world is reasonable.

I dont think its reasonable.

The precedent you are creating is never ending. If you are going to warn about X animal in one space, you have to warn about all possible animals in all spaces.

Example: https://wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/Most-Dangerous-Animals-in-Florida-Top-10

Next your entire guest room, food plate, ect will be covered with "please inspect food for fire ants"...."please inspect your room at all times for black widows"...."please inspect all drawers and your shoes for snakes prior to putting them on"..."please dont pet wild boars"..."please make sure that black cat isnt a panther before approaching to pet it"....never. ever. ending.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

Im going to patent:

Should make a killing soon

When you get into the Ocean do you let your child get 20 yards away from you unless ...

 

[JoeyBoy718]

I dont think its reasonable.

The precedent you are creating is never ending. If you are going to warn about X animal in one space, you have to warn about all possible animals in all spaces.

Example: https://wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/Most-Dangerous-Animals-in-Florida-Top-10

Next your entire guest room, food plate, ect will be covered with "please inspect food for fire ants"...."please inspect your room at all times for black widows"...."please inspect all drawers and your shoes for snakes prior to putting them on"..."please dont pet wild boars"..."please make sure that black cat isnt a panther before approaching to pet it"....never. ever. ending.

We've already been on our way there for a while now. One lady burns her lip on McDonald's hot coffee, now every coffee cup for every company has a "caution: contents are hot" warning. One kid chokes on the toy inside a Kinder Egg, now they're banned in America. We're the nation of 1 incident = new laws for all.

 

[65fastback2plus2]

We've already been on our way there for a while now. One lady burns her lip on McDonald's hot coffee, now every coffee cup for every company has a "caution: contents are hot" warning. One kid chokes on the toy inside a Kinder Egg, now they're banned in America. We're the nation of 1 incident = new laws for all.

While those are also stupid...I can at least understand warnings on something you have control over: a product or service you provide.

No one has control over wild animals, nor did they make them or provide them.

 

[65fastback2plus2]

When you get into the Ocean do you let your child get 20 yards away from you unless ...

Saltwater sucks. I dont go in the ocean.

Wife and I spent 2 weeks in hawaii in 2014 and never even went in the ocean.

Sometimes I'll get in a fresh water lake, but I prefer water I put there and have control over.

 

[big dog cowboy]

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.