From the OS: Gator drags child into Seven Seas Lagoon

[xdan0920]

Mother and kids feeding turtles at Coronado Springs. Guess what shows up. Oh and listen to the mother at the 2:30 mark

They should be banned from WDW property.

 

[GhostHost1000]

You missed the thread about people being stung by wasps at Typhoon Lagoon and that led to a discussion of being stung by bees at the Pop Century pool. It's WDW's fault you see. Their magic was interrupted. You'd think that once you step on WDW property you're inside a dome where everything is controlled.

I guess Disney will have to shut down all of their parks...and just enable VR from a headset in the comfort of your own home lol

 

[wdwfan22]

It's an unfortunate accident. Hopefully this does not mean then end of the fake beaches at Disney's resorts. As far as signage goes, there could have been a sign that stated DANGER DO NOT ENTER and people still wouldn't adhere to the guidelines. People do what they want to do and then don't want to deal with the consequences that come with them.

 

[yellowrocket]

I'd like to ask Dick Nunis how he handled the problem back in the 1970s. Surely, there were more alligators (and snakes and spiders and ticks and bees and snipes). That was back when you could swim and SURF in the Seven Seas Lagoon. I'm sure Walt Disney Productions and RCID did something to help control the wildlife population back then. Something happened along the way to allow them to flourish. To me, I tend to place some blame on TDO for a lack of maintenance by not monitoring the regional wildlife - in much the same way Disneyland management was responsible for the BTMM and Columbia accidents. However, in the final analysis, I feel that most of the blame, sadly, falls on poor Walt. He's the one that decided to build a resort in the middle of Florida.

 

[Incomudro]

This exactly! Wading isn't swimming. People view swimming as splashing around in deep water and swimming about not strolling along the shoreline. People don't assume they will be killed outright when a sign says No Swimming. They assume it means the water may not be clean, perhaps there are no lifeguards or the property owner just doesn't want the liability. Like it or not you have to consider what people think when you word stuff (I do this for a living in the regulatory aspect of the pharmaceutical industry. You may clearly state something but you have to think how that may be interpreted.) They do NOT assume instant death. And to everyone saying it was deep for the child... well, perhaps but not for the adults with him. Who among us has walked along a beach or lake with the kid in thigh deep water while it is up to our lower calves and we think nothing of it. I'm not even sure this sign was put up with any consideration to alligators. We used to swim in those lakes and River Country. It was put up due to general liability and the amoeba.

Swimming involves buoyancy.

 

[Roakor]

I guess Disney will have to shut down all of their parks...and just enable VR from a headset in the comfort of your own home lol

this post is funny, until you start to really think about it. Then it becomes scary.

 

[EngineJoe]

Apparently not the first time a gator grabbed a kid.

http://www.wcvb.com/news/new-hampsh...ck-in-wake-of-toddlers-death/40077606?src=app

Dumb humans feeding the wild animals. When will they learn.

 

[Kylo Ken]

There is blame. The blame is on the alligator...simple as that. Did the alligator do anything wrong within its instincts or environment? No. What is unfortunate is that a 2 year old was in the territory of a feeding alligator and was determined to be a meal. It is a freak accident of nature. There is no blame beyond the alligator. You can "what-if" all day long.

Exactly. Everyone likes to essentially play arm-chair QB or Capt. Hindsight and say what they would have done in this situation or what the world could have done. At the end of the day it was a freak occurrence and extremely unfortunate.

 

[SCB502]

Yeah, how dare they put their feet in the water of this man-made lagoon that guests used to swim in! I'd dare you to say that to the father's face.

I'm not talking to the father or blaming the parents. What I'm saying is that the people on here blaming Disney for not letting their guests know there are alligators need help. It doesn't matter if it's a man made lake. If there is water in Florida there is something in it that can kill you, alligator, shark, amoeba..............

 

[Next Big Thing]

Just about everyone in this thread should be ashamed of themselves. A child died for goodness sake and fighting over whether Disney or the Parents were at fault? I mean seriously, can't we just not for once? Just ONCE? It was a freak accident and very unfortunate.

 

[JohnD]

Do we have a solid or relatively soild version of what happened when this gator attacked? I have seen maybe 20 versions of this either on these boards or in the news. For example originally the boy was in a few inches of water, then he was out afoot into the water or some argue in water a foot deep, then this morning I get on and Daily Mail is saying he was out 10 feet! I have also heard conflicting reports about where the parents were. From the father having his back to the child, holding the child's hand, being with the child watching him a few feet away.

My point is we are all here trying to assess blame and liability when we don't even know what story is true. The facth is that unless someone here is working the case as part of the OCS office then we will probably never know the whole story. And I'm ok with that because why should this families nightmare be all over social media.

Does it really matter? It was a freak accident. He could have been splashing his feet. He could have been near the shore. When alligators want prey, they move fast. That's the only relevant info. It got the child. Tragic for the family.

 

[R W B]

We should probably close this thread- theres no point to argue anymore. Whats done is done and at the end of the day we can't bring back this child's life. Its terrible and its bringing out the worst of us and I wish I could take back a lot of the thing's I've said.

What a terrible and tragic week for Orlando. RIP little guy. It really is amazing to me that someone with their whole life ahead of them could have something like this happen to them. Sad, very sad.

Legally, Disney will settle this, without a doubt, even if they feel they would win (don't want the bad press). I don't think anyone SHOULD be liable, but I'm no expert. Heaven forbid, if this were to happen to my child (shudder), I don't think I would blame any establishment for what happened, given the rarity and the odds being so small, it could've happened anywhere, at any time. Those who proclaim what Disney could've done are focusing solely on the circumstances under which the events unfolded, which is very simple minded. What if the gator came out of the water to get the child? The poor thing still wouldn't stand a chance. And a fence? It is completely inappropriate(and disgusting of me), but I have to laugh. https://twitter.com/sttbs73/status/743182953635667970
Obviously they don't know the slightest thing about gators. About the only thing Disney could've done is have patrols with shotguns ready, which isn't exactly what you want from a family-friendly environment, not to mention the outrage from animal rights groups (who are already upset by the death of at least 4 gators).

Again, assigning blame either to the parents or to Disney, is a terrible way of looking at this. The blame lies with the gator/the people who fed the sucker, and nothing else. The world has lost a poor youngster, who had an entire life in front of him. I can't fathom being one of the parents right now, I'd be racing through my mind, thinking of what I could've done that would have prevented this. I'd probably go insane, to be honest.

Edit: Reading some earlier comments sicken me. This thread should close.

this thread consistently goes in such a negative direction. I just love how people form their own opinions without any know certainties or facts. With that said, what does Disney's charging costs have to do with this? If someone doesn't want to pay to go to Disney, simply put.....dont.

I agree that I think this thread should be closed at this point. There is nothing constructive here

This is the problem of today. Just because YOU don't like something you think it should be changed. The fact that 100 or so other people have no issue with it doesn't mean anything. If you can't handle a debate or don't like what's in this thread then don't come back to it, it's that simple. The rest of us are just fine.

 

[thomas998]

I'd like to ask **** Nunis how he handled the problem back in the 1970s. Surely, there were more alligators (and snakes and spiders and ticks and bees and snipes). That was back when you could swim and SURF in the Seven Seas Lagoon. I'm sure Walt Disney Productions and RCID did something to help control the wildlife population back then. Something happened along the way to allow them to flourish. To me, I tend to place some blame on TDO for a lack of maintenance by not monitoring the regional wildlife - in much the same way Disneyland management was responsible for the BTMM and Columbia accidents. However, in the final analysis, I feel that most of the blame, sadly, falls on poor Walt. He's the one that decided to build a resort in the middle of Florida.

Actually I expect there were fewer alligators to deal with during the 70's... As I recall the alligators were on the endangered species list in 1973 because their numbers had dropped so low due to over hunting of them. In recent times their numbers have increased dramatically so odds are it would have been much more rare to see a gator in the lake in the 70's than it is today.

 

[thomas998]

It's an unfortunate accident. Hopefully this does not mean then end of the fake beaches at Disney's resorts. As far as signage goes, there could have been a sign that stated DANGER DO NOT ENTER and people still wouldn't adhere to the guidelines. People do what they want to do and then don't want to deal with the consequences that come with them.

Agreed on people doing what they want regardless of signs... I think it about a week ago that some idiot ignored warning signs at Yellowstone that warned about getting off of the boardwalk... As I understand it they weren't even able to recover much of his remains because he left the board walk and ended up in a pool of super hot acid that pretty much dissolved most everything.

 

[Figaro928]

Does anyone know if they are still actively removing more gators from the waters today? Or are they going to wait and analyze to, I think 5 they caught already?

 

[JohnD]

Mother and kids feeding turtles at Coronado Springs. Guess what shows up. Oh and listen to the mother at the 2:30 mark

Now we know why:

"San Diego attorney David Hiden told the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday that last year he whisked his son to safety at Disney's Coronado Springs after a gator approached the boy playing in calf-deep water. Then Hiden saw a second gator nearby. Hiden said a hotel manager called one of them a "resident pet" and seemed unconcerned.

"If I hadn't gone down there in another two seconds, my kid would have been killed," Hiden said."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-disney-alligator-history-20160615-story.html

 

[Baltar]

I'

Does anyone know if they are still actively removing more gators from the waters today? Or are they going to wait and analyze to, I think 5 they caught already?

I am pretty sure they will be very vigilant going after them from now on.

 

[micdisney]

Does anyone know if they are still actively removing more gators from the waters today? Or are they going to wait and analyze to, I think 5 they caught already?

They are analyzing and waiting for the results it what I heard

 

[micdisney]

Agreed on people doing what they want regardless of signs... I think it about a week ago that some idiot ignored warning signs at Yellowstone that warned about getting off of the boardwalk... As I understand it they weren't even able to recover much of his remains because he left the board walk and ended up in a pool of super hot acid that pretty much dissolved most everything.

Agreed. You could put signs everywhere and people are going to do what they want to do

 

[Raineman]

A bit of advice for those involved in this thread:

Don't like it and want it closed? Stop reading it.

Blaming the parents or Disney for what happened? Stop blaming.

Don't like the fact that people are having a conversation over the legality and/or circumstances of the incident? It's a way for people to try to understand and work through the horrible tragedy that just happened. Stop being so offended with them doing this.

Want to crack jokes about what happened? Leave, and don't ever come back here again.

Thanks.