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Anywhere in Florida that there is a lake and small children, a No Swimming sign is very much about gators. They are everywhere, and not always accounted for. Small to mid-size gators will typically keep their distance from adults, even if hungry. Kids are a totally different story.
I was attributing Tiger Fan's position in the other thread to Shady here. My bad.
Yeah I know Florida and gators go hand in hand. But I have to be honest, me being a NYer, if I was on a Disney Resort and there was a man made lake on the resort, and there were signs that said no swimming, my first thought wouldnt be gators.
I get this take to a certain degree, but my first thought whenever I've been in Florida near freshwater is "hmmm, gators?" And if I had a two year old, my only thought would be GATORS. And I'm not a helicopter parent, by any means. But Florida + gators + two year old + remotest chance of gators = NO ####### SWIMMING!!
Terrible tragedy and the parents have to be absolutely devastated knowing they tried to get him. That said, I grew up in CT, but I always knew about gators in Florida. Maybe they didn't but I always thought it was a given that no swimming was 100% related to alligators in fresh water. Heck, we see gators in ponds in Hilton Head/Charleston and I've always told my boys to be careful.
My heart breaks for that family.
Exactly, and there must be a hundred pamphlets and ads about places to see them. Walking near a pond/lake, be careful but letting a 2 year go into the water is just plain dangerous.
You're absolutely right Shades and I have stayed one time at the GF so I know the lake, I can understand why the parents thought they were in a safe place. If Disney had no signs up then they are going to take the blame big time. Gators can slip from one body of water and move into another so it's possible this one came from another area and ended up there. I doubt Disney released 8-10 gators on their hotel properties.
Would your first thought be to let your two year old go in the water at 9:20pm regardless if you knew about gators?
No but Im not about to sit here and criticize the poor parents who lost their 2 year old because of a dumb mistake on their part.
My hunch would be no they wouldn't. Lawyers?
A gator might not be my first thought either, but there isn't a chance I wouldn't obey the signs posted. Regardless of why.
As parents we all make dumb mistakes. How is that statement criticizing the parents? Nobody is immune to making dumb mistakes.
Callously: Disney can well afford to settle at pretty much any 8-figure amount or below. That might figure into their "last resort" line of legal protecton.
Well they have two other children so they have to live with this mistake the rest of their lives. Simply horrible.
Here is a picture of the beach and lagoon. You can easily see how it could happen. I am sure that beach will now be closed.
Perhaps...though, of all places to feel safer, the lagoon at DIsney would be one I guess.
One report I read noted that the toddler's four year old sister was also on the beach and witnessed her brother being snatched by the gator and her father trying to wrestle with the gator to save her brother's life. That poor little girl is likely to have some serious lifelong trauma.
All languages too. Pictures preferably, a kid in a gators jaws would get the message across.
