*Updated with poll* - WTF, Alligator drags away a toddler at Walt Disney World

[KeithP]

They had No Swimming signs up but nothing about gators.

Exactly, I mean who could predict that an alligator might be in a body of water in Florida?

But Disney does have a problem. While there were "no swimming" signs, there was also a lifeguard on duty. The child was playing in the water near the edge, "about a foot in" according to reports. There was no indication that the lifeguard told the family that this might be dangerous and the child shouldn't be in the water. I would guess the inevitable lawsuit will mention that.

I would also guess that the inevitable lawsuit will ask for millions of dollars but make no mention of asking Disney to post more signs and take more safeguards for their guests because all they will really care about is cashing in.

-KeithP

 

[radhak]

Water + Florida = Alligators were, are, or will be there. The grounds of Disney are MASSIVE and therefore there is plenty of water for them to lurk. Last I was at Disney, which was years ago, I don't recall seeing any signs that said "There are no gators here. Enjoy the water." Please correct me if that has changed. From what I do recall, the signs read "Swim at your own risk." As sad and terrifying as it is, the parents are to blame. There's not much argument here.

Agree.

Allowing a two year old to wade into strange water (as in, not a swimming pool) late in the evening is itself negligent. The kid could have stepped into a deep hole, could have stepped on a snake and got bitten, so many things could go wrong when you mix up these factors. And if the parents visit Florida and haven't heard of small dogs dragged off by gators, dunno what to say.

That said, I hope those parents don't read this post. I wouldn't wish this on anybody, nor the lifetime of nightmares to follow.

 

[MustISO]

I stayed at the place mentioned in the article many years ago. I don't recall there being a place to even go into the water. They had the water taxis to take you from place to place. I suppose there's a section where the land slopes down into the water. Very surprised there aren't signs about gators or fences to keep people out.

The lawsuit should force Disney to fix the issue and not compensate the parents. It sucks that it happened but it was easily avoidable.

 

[Anubis]

they aren't gonna find shit,

area they are lookin in is not small

ill be amazed if they even find the gator

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tor-near-Disney-s-Grand-Floridian-resort.html

 

[Zee]

Water + Florida = Alligators were, are, or will be there. The grounds of Disney are MASSIVE and therefore there is plenty of water for them to lurk. Last I was at Disney, which was years ago, I don't recall seeing any signs that said "There are no gators here. Enjoy the water." Please correct me if that has changed. From what I do recall, the signs read "Swim at your own risk." As sad and terrifying as it is, the parents are to blame. There's not much argument here.

how are tourists visiting a controlled resort supposed to know if there are gators everywhere unless disney tell them?

signs saying there's no gators? That's like saying there should be signs also stating there's no panthers, because there are trees and panthers like to attack down from tree branches

also i want to say, i agree this is bad parenting as well. but still. it wasnt a fucking swamp, it's a serene looking beautiful body of water

 

[dainthomas]

They have a case, it was at a Disneyland Resort. You expect to be fairly safe at a resort like that. You don't expect a Gator to come out and take your kid.

They had No Swimming signs up but nothing about gators.

Lol wat? Are there snipers ringing the lake to take out any scary critters trying to crawl in? If you're in Florida and have a brain, you know there are alligators everywhere.

 

[Linux23]

something is really, reaaaaly, fishy here.

 

[Red Storm]

Lol wat? Are there snipers ringing the lake to take out any scary critters trying to crawl in? If you're in Florida and have a brain, you know there are alligators everywhere.

If a family resort is going to have lakes on site, and those lakes are probably going to be alligator infested, it would probably be a good idea to have signs stating such and maybe also fences to keep people out. As has been stated, the people going to these resorts are not Florida natives, so there should be no assumption that they automatically know about the gator problem.

 

[Anubis]

most people from outside Florida are going to assume NO gators anywhere at Disney

 

[DrPizza]

Water + Florida = Alligators were, are, or will be there. The grounds of Disney are MASSIVE and therefore there is plenty of water for them to lurk. Last I was at Disney, which was years ago, I don't recall seeing any signs that said "There are no gators here. Enjoy the water." Please correct me if that has changed. From what I do recall, the signs read "Swim at your own risk." As sad and terrifying as it is, the parents are to blame. There's not much argument here.

I've been to Florida dozens of times. My kids have been fishing with gators just a dozen feet away. I'm aware of gators in *most* water in Florida. But, prior to this story, if you polled 1000 people from a northern state with these questions, here are the results I think you'd get:

"Are there alligators in Florida?" Yes (1000 votes) No (0 votes)
"Do most bodies of water in Florida have gators?" Yes (900 votes) No (100 votes)
"Inside a fenced off resort like Disneyland, do you think they have gators in their ponds?" Yes (20 votes) No (980 votes)


I've been up close with gators in Florida - just a couple feet away - I know they're dangerous. (I'm sure it's common for people who live in Florida.) Never in a million years would I think that a Disney resort had dangerous alligators on their property. You can't just wander in to Disneyland. They have security to keep unwanted people out - I'd think their fencing, etc., could keep out large alligators. And, I'd think that if alligators were seen on their property, they would actively remove them.

 

[purbeast0]

they aren't gonna find shit,

area they are lookin in is not small

ill be amazed if they even find the gator

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tor-near-Disney-s-Grand-Floridian-resort.html

after looking at that, i am indifferent on disney having SOME of the responsibility.

why do they even have a "white sand beach" to a body of water they don't want people entering? it's a man made lake so the beach is obviously man made. just seems kind of odd to even have something like that and can see why a child would want to enter it even if just a few feet off shore. hell i could see why an adult would want to enter it too, especially with those signs that don't warn about any danger, just telling you not to swim.

and to be fair, the toddler wasn't "swimming" and there are no signs that say "no wading" or anything.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I haven't read the whole thread. I do want to say I just heard a gator expert say that this type attack is impossible to prevent it shouldn't be on the Parents. Gators can be nearly undetectable and move very fast in shallow water.

 

[Thebobo]

The signs that say no swimming.

 

[purbeast0]

There are signs that say no swimming can't make out the rest.

says something about a steep drop off, the link anubis posted has a zoomed in picture of it.

 

[LTC8K6]

Can't they put up the underwater nets or fences to keep the gators from getting near the shore in those places?

 

[PricklyPete]

This is what's wrong with America. It's nature. Be aware of your surroundings. Watch your damn kids. Not everything needs to turn into a lawsuit.

Agreed...we don't need signs everywhere either. While tragic...this stuff happens around the world all the time.

 

[midwestfisherman]

Agreed. I call this a fine example of bad parenting. I feel for the family, but what does one need to happen to weigh in the dangers of the environemt at hand.

Bad parenting? No. Bad judgement...yes. Still it's a sad thing for this family.

 

[sdifox]

The signs that say no swimming.

wading <> swimming. Sign should have said gator.

 

[CraKaJaX]

I've been to Florida dozens of times. My kids have been fishing with gators just a dozen feet away. I'm aware of gators in *most* water in Florida. But, prior to this story, if you polled 1000 people from a northern state with these questions, here are the results I think you'd get:

"Are there alligators in Florida?" Yes (1000 votes) No (0 votes)
"Do most bodies of water in Florida have gators?" Yes (900 votes) No (100 votes)
"Inside a fenced off resort like Disneyland, do you think they have gators in their ponds?" Yes (20 votes) No (980 votes)


I've been up close with gators in Florida - just a couple feet away - I know they're dangerous. (I'm sure it's common for people who live in Florida.) Never in a million years would I think that a Disney resort had dangerous alligators on their property. You can't just wander in to Disneyland. They have security to keep unwanted people out - I'd think their fencing, etc., could keep out large alligators. And, I'd think that if alligators were seen on their property, they would actively remove them.

I agree with all of this except the bold. My question is, why? A fenced off resort does not read "there are no gators here." There's millions of gated communities in Florida. Gated does not mean no gators. There's private golf courses in Florida. Private does not mean no gators. (Did you see the news a few weeks ago with the practical T-rex strolling through the fairway? ) The gates, fence, barricades, whatever they have to surround the grounds typically do not run through all the paths of water, either. They can easily get in. I refuse to believe that 980/1000 people would vote on that idea. Else, I'm terrified to be living on this planet with said people.

I've been kayaking in the everglades feet from gators, but I'm also not 2 years old and know how they can react. I wasn't kicking my feet around in a foot of water at dusk, but just simply floating along. Water is their territory, their feeding grounds, their shelter. The kid understandably had no idea where he was or what risk he was putting himself at, but the parents should have.

 

[gorcorps]

yeah this is a lawsuit. They werent technically swimming. media says kid wasstanding in about 1 feet of water. basically the alligator came out and snatched the toddler

They have a case, it was at a Disneyland Resort. You expect to be fairly safe at a resort like that. You don't expect a Gator to come out and take your kid.

They had No Swimming signs up but nothing about gators.

They shouldn't have a case. It says no fucking swimming... why some people think they need every bit of information to follow rules is what gets people in trouble.

If you're told to stay out of the water, stay out of the fucking water. It doesn't matter if it's because of gators, or a chemical spill, or stray electrical current, or simply because they want to preserve something in there... if it says stay the fuck out and you don't stay the fuck out then you get to live with the knowledge you let your kid get eaten simply because you didn't heed the warnings that are there.

People like this are why there's extremely obvious warning labels on everything. "NO SWIMMING" is apparently not enough, so they'll have to dumb it down to cover their asses.

It's a terrible tragedy that was easily avoidable if adults didn't think they were above the rules.

 

[purbeast0]

They shouldn't have a case. It says no fucking swimming... why some people think they need every bit of information to follow rules is what gets people in trouble.

If you're told to stay out of the water, stay out of the fucking water. It doesn't matter if it's because of gators, or a chemical spill, or stray electrical current, or simply because they want to preserve something in there... if it says stay the fuck out and you don't stay the fuck out then you get to live with the knowledge you let your kid get eaten simply because you didn't heed the warnings that are there.

People like this are why there's extremely obvious warning labels on everything. "NO SWIMMING" is apparently not enough, so they'll have to dumb it down to cover their asses.

It's a terrible tragedy that was easily avoidable if adults didn't think they were above the rules.

by all accounts the kid wasn't swimming in the water.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I agree with all of this except the bold. My question is, why? A fenced off resort does not read "there are no gators here." There's millions of gated communities in Florida. Gated does not mean no gators. There's private golf courses in Florida. Private does not mean no gators. (Did you see the news a few weeks ago with the practical T-rex strolling through the fairway? ) The gates, fence, barricades, whatever they have to surround the grounds typically do not run through all the paths of water, either. They can easily get in. I refuse to believe that 980/1000 people would vote on that idea. Else, I'm terrified to be living on this planet with said people.

I've been kayaking in the everglades feet from gators, but I'm also not 2 years old and know how they can react. I wasn't kicking my feet around in a foot of water at dusk, but just simply floating along. Water is their territory, their feeding grounds, their shelter. The kid understandably had no idea where he was or what risk he was putting himself at, but the parents should have.

Maybe a better poll question would be "Do you think that alligators occasionally make their way into the bodies of water inside the Disneyland Resort?"

Infested is one thing, but alligators "occasionally" get just about everywhere in florida, though hopefully they're quickly removed from places they're not wanted.

 

[Artdeco]

The parents must be a total wreck over this, how sad...

 

[dainthomas]

If a family resort is going to have lakes on site, and those lakes are probably going to be alligator infested, it would probably be a good idea to have signs stating such and maybe also fences to keep people out. As has been stated, the people going to these resorts are not Florida natives, so there should be no assumption that they automatically know about the gator problem.

In my defense, I did state that they'd need a brain.

Things like this are why we have warning labels on drain cleaner not to drink it.

 

[zerocool84]

I hate those stupid frivolous lawsuits as much as the next guy but really, you guys go to a Disneyland Resort and expect there to be alligators there? It's Disneyland/Disney World, they have a reputation for being one of the safest and family friendly places in the world. You don't expect there to be gators INSIDE the resort in the water. The father tried to save the son.