From the OS: Gator drags child into Seven Seas Lagoon

[disney4life2008]

Open statement:

A large alligator is fully capable of eating a deer... the boy was smaller than a deer and when the alligator saw him he decided it was a viable meal. If it was dark you would need to be looking to see it but the alligator likely swam underwater with maybe its eyes above the water toward the boy. That was what likely happened and how it would happen. The boy would have been unlikely to have even known the alligator was near until it was close and lunging for him. But how do you not understand how it would take a child? A child is small enough for it to eat and an alligator doesn't have a list of animals it will go after it pretty much is like willing to go after anything that is the right size.

I live in Orlando and you have to forgive me, I am dealing with a lot right now.

 

[IMFearless]

A seawall isn't erecting a wall.. it's essentially building a raised sidewalk with a flat wall down into the water, or a dock system. It would be relatively simple and effective, and far more attractive than fencing off the beaches, which would be the cheaper solution I could see Disney doing. You basically just need to make it level with the top of the beach area. It should just be a couple feet up, but enough of a drop into the water that people realize not to jump on in, but then I would assume they'd have to add hand rails and fencing anyway.. so. I don't know. It will be a wait and see as to what Disney will do.

The potential for an increased risk of drowning is likely where a barrier to exiting the water exists. Any sort of wall, dock or fence makes it more difficult to get out of water should someone end up in the water somehow.

Disney should respond proportionately to this risk.

 

[disney4life2008]

Back when Disney first opened, did people swim in the seven seas lagoon or was that bay lake?

 

[PhotoDave219]

If you walk through a bad neighborhood and get mugged - it's not a freak accident.
Walking on the water's edge AT NIGHT with a small animal sized human in gator country is not innocent behavior -- incredibly naive, but not innocent.

I guess most people are not familiar with the idea people lose pets all the time in FL due to gators? Size... timing.. location... are all risk factors.

Family is from Nebraska, FWIW.

 

[Incomudro]

If you walk through a bad neighborhood and get mugged - it's not a freak accident.
Walking on the water's edge AT NIGHT with a small animal sized human in gator country is not innocent behavior -- incredibly naive, but not innocent.

I guess most people are not familiar with the idea people lose pets all the time in FL due to gators? Size... timing.. location... are all risk factors.

The beach of the Grand Floridian is not the Everglades.
Disney certainly does not treat it as such either.

 

[Disney Analyst]

The potential for an increased risk of drowning is likely where a barrier to exiting the water exists. Any sort of wall, dock or fence makes it more difficult to get out of water should someone end up in the water somehow.

Disney should respond proportionately to this risk.

Fair point. And I'm sure these are the debates they are having right now.... What is the best solution? Leave it as is? More signage? Clearer guest education at check-in? Beaches closed for foreseeable future?

 

[MichRX7]

You have obviously never heard the prosecution in a liability case. I will bet the farm that those exact questions and dozens more just like them would be asked if this ever went to trial.

Oh I don't doubt that they will. I'm just saying that it is outrageous.

 

[flynnibus]

That's why you're wrong and why Disney is liable.

If you hit a deer while driving on Disney property, is Disney liable?
Is Disney liable for a bird stealing your french fry??

No one is going to find Disney liable for the actions of wildlife unless Disney were doing things that instigated or drew the wildlife into the situation in question. It's called WILDLIFE for a reason. It's not construction, it's not workers, etc. And Disney already has wildlife management programs in place to address risk situations when they arise and trying to manage the interactions between customers and wildlife.

Please cite references where companies are by default liable for any wildlife activity in open spaces.

 

[Baltar]

You have obviously never heard the prosecution in a liability case. I will bet the farm that those exact questions and dozens more just like them would be asked if this ever went to trial.

This will never go to a trial. Ever. Disney will not want to go to trial. They will write a sizeable check regardless of fault just to avoid the publicity.

 

[PhotoDave219]

OCSO PIO said, "The sign said "No Swimming". He wasn't swimming".

Thanks. You still out there?

 

[betty rose]

Action of some sort is a possibility - but the even suggestion of a wall is ineffective and frankly stupid. 1) It would only even ATTEMPT to address one area - Every ditch, strand of trees, or marsh area near water are risk areas. We would often see gators just walking from Shades of Green to the TTC for instance. 2) It doesn't even address the behavior of the animals. Walling off the lagoon area as you suggest would be some superficial move that would cost millions, detract from the property, yet do nothing to actually address the topic.

Might as well talk about the probability of Disney moving WDW to a safer location -- it's never going to happen.

I watched a show on the Animal Channel about alligator's. I saw one large alligator climb a chain link fence into someone's backyard swimming pool. I had no idea they had the ability to climb like that, and they showed they could run really fast too. I've been going to Disney since it opened, and the snake we saw was only the second 40 plus years. I've been fortunate to have never seen an alligator. I hope my luck holds out. This is a question for people who live in Florida and know a lot about alligator's. If you come up on one, do you scream, run, stand still? I have no knowledge on how to handle that situation.

 

[Nubs70]

OCSO PIO said, "The sign said "No Swimming". He wasn't swimming".

Thus WDW is open to civil liability.

 

[TikiTorch]

I have a two year old boy myself so this tragedy really just reinforces what I already know about the need to have eyes on children every second. But the fact is: truly freak accidents do happen that no one could reasonably be expected to foresee. It's a fact of life that we sadly have to live with. Life is precious; every day is precious.

 

[flynnibus]

Back when Disney first opened, did people swim in the seven seas lagoon or was that bay lake?

Both.. there were roped off recreational beachs were you could go out to water that was only like chest deep. They limited where people could go in the water due to all the boat traffic. Every resort had a marina.

 

[thomas998]

It was continuously filled that way, it wasn't a one time thing. What I heard was the water management distric eventually at some point decided they had to stop that practice.

That makes sense. Continually using well water to maintain clear water in a lake that size would be a huge waste and could lead to a significant lowering of the water table over time.

 

[flynnibus]

Family is from Nebraska, FWIW.

I know the family is from another area... the last sentence was more about the posters here on this site

 

[Electricsoup]

It's over. Press conference coming shortly. Horrific.

 

[Incomudro]

Did you miss the whole part about alligators LIVE ON LAND??? Gators hunt in the water because they drown their prey and it gives them cover to hunt. Building a wall won't keep gators out of the water, it wouldn't keep people away from gators, nor would it eliminate gators or their threats in the area.

If you've ever played Golf at Disney... you'd know how common they are all around.

What it would do (if done) is keep people out of the water, as well as make it more difficult for a gator to seize a person. Yes, I know they are capable of propelling themselves up out of the water, but it's a different feat from grasping prey off of a shoreline.

 

[flynnibus]

The beach of the Grand Floridian is not the Everglades.
Disney certainly does not treat it as such either.

Neither are most residential areas... but all residents know... you don't hang around the pond/lake at night... nor let your little poodle do so either.

Clearly most people here are lulled into this idea that WDW is pure and pristine and haven't been around a lot of the property outside the parks themselves.

 

[TeriofTerror]

Back when Disney first opened, did people swim in the seven seas lagoon or was that bay lake?

Yes, it was new and filled with fresh, clean water and sand. It has slowly been reclaimed by nature.