Toddler dies at Disney World Orlando

[Obelisk]

As if it wasn't already a brutal week for Orlando...

Link

The 2-year-old boy who witnesses said was pulled by an alligator into a lagoon near a Walt Disney World hotel has been found dead by the Orange County dive team, Sheriff Jerry Demings said at a Wednesday news conference.

The body of the boy, Lane Graves, was found intact about 1:45 p.m., not far from where the boy was grabbed Tuesday night, Demings said. His body had only a few puncture wounds, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
He likely drowned, Demings said.
"Of course, the autopsy has to confirm that, but there is likely no question in my mind that the child was drowned by the alligator," Demings said.
Demings said the body was found in 6 feet of murky water perhaps 10 to 15 yards from where the boy was attacked.
The boy's parents, who are from Elkhorn, Nebraska, were identified as Matt and Melissa Graves.
Matt Graves is the chief data officer at Omaha Infogroup, a company that provides technology solutions, CNN affiliate KETV reported.
Demings said the Graves were distraught yet relieved that this was not a protracted search.
He said he brought a priest with him when breaking the news to the parents, who are Catholic.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Nick Wiley said the alligator may have already been caught, but that has not yet been confirmed.
"We're going to make certain that we have the alligator that was involved, and that we remove it from the lake," he said.

Forensics teams will try to determine whether one of the alligators already taken from the lake is the one that dragged off the boy. If not, the search for alligators in the lake will continue.
The boy's family was at a movie night outdoors at the Grand Floridian resort when around 9 p.m. the boy waded into about a foot of water in a lagoon, authorities have said. Witnesses, including the boy's horrified parents, tried to save him. His father jumped in and tried to pry the gator's mouth open. His mother jumped in, too.
But it was too late. The child was dragged underwater in the Seven Seas Lagoon, witnesses told authorities. The lagoon is connected to a series of canals that feed into large bodies of water, Wiley said earlier.
The Reedy Creek emergency services call center first received a report about the attack at 9:16 p.m.
A search began for the boy immediately, with boats from Disney searching along with law enforcement.
By midmorning Wednesday, Disney had closed all beaches in its resort area "out of an abundance of caution" after the attack, a Disney representative said.
Wiley said the child was on the edge of the lagoon when the alligator attacked, according to the boy's family. He cautioned that the investigation is still in an early stage and officials need to interview at least two other families who may have witnessed the attack.
Demings specifically said the child was "wading ... along the lake's edge at the time that the alligator attacked."

The father suffered minor scratches on his hand trying to save his son.

In addition, there were "no swimming" signs all along the property where the attack happened.

 

[Yarf]

Great, all my memories of going to that theme park are shattered.

 

[Robin]

Disney are not going to be liable for this because of the no swimming signs. Pretty much any body of water other than a pool is not advisable to swim in in Alligator infested Florida.

The parents should not have let a kid go into the lagoon especially at 9PM at night! Obviously they were watching him because they were right there when it happened. It's a tragic accident.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Those poor parents. Hard to imagine anything much worse than this.
A small blessing that the boy was found intact.

 

[Lain]

In addition, there were "no swimming" signs all along the property where the attack happened.

Pfft, 2-year-olds can't read.

Two soon? I'll show myself out and into the lagoon...


In all seriousness though, it's crazy how all these terrible things are happening in Orlando this week. I just have to wonder how that kid ended up in the water with his parents apparently present... surely they didn't intentionally let him go for a dip? I've gotta assume they just weren't paying attention. In either case, I can't imagine how bad they must feel... truly a terrible accident.

 

[Lucas]

It's sadly one of those events where the parents are taught a lesson in the most brutal way possible...

 

[The87Dodge]

Pfft, 2-year-olds can't read.

But the parents can.

 

[Lain]

You don't say?

 

[The87Dodge]

You don't say?

After all, it would've been the parents job to make sure the child did not enter the lagoon. And the parents did not do that, which is how the accident happened. Is it their fault? Probably not.

 

[Johnnypenso]

But the parents can.

After all, it would've been the parents job to make sure the child did not enter the lagoon. And the parents did not do that, which is how the accident happened. Is it their fault? Probably not.

You might have a point if the sign said, "Stay away from the water, alligators present". The sign said, "No swimming" and the boy wasn't swimming.

 

[McLaren]

Unfortunate story, even sadder that once the boy was grabbed, it was pretty clear he had a very slim of survival (given how often the info about the strength of a gator's jaw is shared when they're brought up).

This though, is kind of odd to me.

"We're going to make certain that we have the alligator that was involved, and that we remove it from the lake," he said.

I apologize if I'm coming across a bit heartless; I just don't see what will be accomplished removing the killer gator from the lagoon other than putting it down & the parents knowing it was the one who took their son. You remove him from the lake, but it's not like the next one someone may come across will behave differently.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

You remove him from the lake, but it's not like the next one someone may come across will behave differently.

The concern is that the alligator will continue its behaviour regardless of where you put it. We have that problem with saltwater crocodiles and great white sharks all the time

 

[prousonhairy]

Yes, once any animal/reptile attacks a human, it should be put down. They do the same thing with grizzly bears that attack someone, or keep coming around for food even after they've been relocated. Once they lose their fear of humans, they are a major danger.

I think it's kind of harsh to blame the parents, a freaking two year old can go from point A to point B in a half second, and so can a hungry alligator.

 

[TenEightyOne]

The concern is that the alligator will continue its behaviour regardless of where you put it. We have that problem with saltwater crocodiles and great white sharks all the time

It seems here that the problem is that the humans are in the alligators' space. Removing the humans seems a good idea.

 

[Pupik]

This though, is kind of odd to me.

I apologize if I'm coming across a bit heartless; I just don't see what will be accomplished removing the killer gator from the lagoon other than putting it down & the parents knowing it was the one who took their son. You remove him from the lake, but it's not like the next one someone may come across will behave differently.

It's Florida state law...although sometimes alligators do hand out extreme justice. It can also be against state law to harass alligators.

Seven Seas Lagoon has some beaches by the resorts, and Walt Disney World is dotted with numerous swamps. An alligator can crawl from one freshwater area, like a canal or slough, to the man-made freshwater lake. I suppose the expectation is that one wouldn't expect a gator to be swimming around or crawling around the shores of the lake, but they do.

I just can't tell if they used the artificial beach areas to wade - the articles mention the Grand Floridian, the nicest resort in the park - or picked some random area to just meddle around. The areas of muddy shoreline are exactly where alligators would hang out, especially in darkness. From experience, the movie-viewing area is closer to the beach area.

Tragic and a total nightmare for the family to endure. Look, it's easy to be an armchair parent, but it's frankly not possible to be a perfect parent all the time, and Disney is one of the few places on earth where children would probably fall into the least amount of danger.

Fatal alligator attacks are statistically quite rare.

 

[McLaren]

The concern is that the alligator will continue its behaviour regardless of where you put it. We have that problem with saltwater crocodiles and great white sharks all the time

I suppose. Gators just don't strike me as a species that would have acted any differently from the one who attacked but if that's the case, then ok. Pupik stating its also the law explains why as well for me.

 

[dxm8975]

Sad news and poor boy, indeed...

But what on earth were parents doing at the scene when the kid got attacked by the alligator ? I suppose parents have to be at fault if they let him walk around the lagoon at night on purpose, without taking heed of any possible dangers brought about by doing so.

 

[A2K78]

I hope Disney get sued..

Anyhow as disturbing week for my city.

 

[Obelisk]

I hope Disney get sued..

Anyhow as disturbing week for my city.

This wasn't Disney's fault.

 

[TenEightyOne]

This wasn't Disney's fault.

That's yet to be proven or disproven. Disney say that their signs simply said no swimming and that they didn't warn visitors about alligators in the water. They are reviewing the quantity of signs and the wording.

Disney's liability hinges on whether it was negligent in warning guests about the potential dangers of alligators and what the company knew about the risk of harm, according to Florida state law.

Though state agencies post alligator warning signs near bodies of water, the attack occurred at a lagoon Disney said was marked only with "no swimming" signs, which did not specify the animal's threat.

Proving negligence will be difficult as wildlife is exempt from the "attractive nuisance" particulars. Experts seem to think that the point is moot and that Disney will settle civilly to avoid greater publicity.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Sad news and poor boy, indeed...

But what on earth were parents doing at the scene when the kid got attacked by the alligator ? I suppose parents have to be at fault if they let him walk around the lagoon at night on purpose, without taking heed of any possible dangers brought about by doing so.

The parents and child were walking at the water's edge and obeying the signs that said "no swimming". What exactly are they at fault for?

 

[GTsail]

Experts seem to think that the point is moot and that Disney will settle civilly to avoid greater publicity.

I think that Disney should provide some sort of settlement to the family.

Last night, I saw a short interview of another father who was staying at one of the Disney resorts in Florida, and the father reported to the Disney resort manager that there were a couple of 5-6 foot gators in the water right near the resorts walk-ways. The father was concerned about his own kids and for the safety of other children who might walk along-side the water on the Resort's paths. The father said that the Disney manager said that the gators were of no concern, they were just the local "native pets", so the father didn't feel that the Disney manager was taking the possible threat seriously.

I imagine that Disney is quickly putting up new signs, but sadly, the new signs are a little late.

 

[prousonhairy]

They euthanized 5 alligators alone in that lagoon, when they were trying to find that boy's body. Seems like you wouldn't want alligators around where little kids would be. Anyone blaming the parents is just silly. What would they do anyway, stop the alligator?

 

[McLaren]

I think the argument against the parents is that even though the sign only said no swimming, one would assume there must be something about the water they don't want people in.

Not saying I agree with that though. Even if his parents were right next to him, gators are near impossible to see at night and strike incredibly fast; I don't think he would have stood a chance under any situation.

 

[CodeRedR51]

This is Florida we are talking about. If it's not the ocean or a swimming pool, chances are it's gator infested. Especially if these water ways are attached to open swamps which I believe I heard this specific one was.

 

[TenEightyOne]

This is Florida we are talking about. If it's not the ocean or a swimming pool, chances are it's gator infested. Especially if these water ways are attached to open swamps which I believe I heard this specific one was.

I don't think they have alligators in Omaha though, do they? It's surely up to the vendor to warn people of the risk, particularly given that other guests are saying that they'd warned Disney about alligators during the previous week. It seems that Disney may not have done enough with just a "no swimming" sign.

 

[prousonhairy]

The ironic part is, if this would of been at a zoo, and a kid fell in the alligator enclosure, people would be b*tching if they would of shot the alligator.

I read the little boy wasn't even hardly tore up, he just had a couple puncture wounds and died from drowning.

I don't think this was a case where the family was doing anything blatantly wrong, it's just a sad story. Sometimes people mess around with wildlife and get complacent, I won't say they get what they deserve, but I don't feel sorry for them.

The stories at Yellowstone are the best, your always hearing about some Knob who wants to get 20 feet from a Bison, so they can take a cool picture. Then they end up getting gored or trampled. Those people I don't feel sorry for at all, in fact I laugh when i hear about those.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I don't think they have alligators in Omaha though, do they?

Nebraska? What does Nebraska have to do with Florida which I specifically mentioned?

 

[JKgo]

Nebraska? What does Nebraska have to do with Florida which I specifically mentioned?

...The boy's family's from Omaha.

 

[CodeRedR51]

...The boy's family's from Omaha.

Missed that, but Florida and gators go hand in hand. It would surprise me if these people didn't know that.