Alligator Drags 2 Year old into water at Grand Floridian resort.

[Scott W.]

Well that myth is (unfortunately) officially broken. That child was pronounced dead inside of WDW property, live to the world.

I wasn't sure if it only applied to the parks or the resort as a whole. I know The Contemporary has had a few suicides there.

I feel kind of odd talking about this given the gravity of what's just happened.

I am on a tablet but they had the newspaper story with pictures of him as a boy in the hospital. I doubt Channel 13 made it up or didn't do their homework before broadcasting the story last night

Mickey and Snow White came to see him in the hospital

Previous Disney alligator attack victim has message for boy's family - Story | FOX 13 Tampa Bay

If he can't talk about the legality of it, I'm guessing there was a big settlement.

 

[Teebin]

And, there you have it!

 

[Nick]

If he can't talk about the legality of it, I'm guessing there was a big settlement.

And if he can't talk about the legality of it, I wonder if in that large settlement, it basically involved wiping the event away from WDW's history and OPD/Reedy Creek. Not saying it did, but it's very possible.

 

[Scott W.]

I'm guessing the water park mascots will be retired for the summer. The Peter Pan ride could be up for review.

 

[Nick]

I'm guessing the water park mascots will be retired for the summer.

Well that shouldn't be hard for Blizzard since it's basically Disney's Frozen Park right now.

 

[Teebin]

On the other hand, I wonder what WDW would have said if asked if anyone had ever been attacked there. Too, now that we have seen this video, it is Disney adding to its own mythology when they didn't put alligator warning signs up years ago. It certainly gives me pause!

 

[Nick]

On the other hand, I wonder what WDW would have said if asked if anyone had ever been attacked there. Too, now that we have seen this video, it is Disney adding to its own mythology when they didn't put alligator warning signs up years ago. It certainly gives me pause!

We'll see if this video makes it to CNN or MSNBC. If so, then we may actually get some answers. They'll press Disney hard.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

It's going to be interesting to see how Disney repositions the resorts after this. Yes it was a freak accident, but as the lakes become more overgrown and wild, less water craft and activity allows for animals to congregate, and people become more complacent something has to change. Yes this hasn't happened in 45 years at WDW, but why did it happen now, what changed? Was it just chance or has something changed?

 

[Nick]

It's going to be interesting to see how Disney repositions the resorts after this. Yes it was a freak accident, but as the lakes become more overgrown and wild, less water craft and activity allows for animals to congregate, and people become more complacent something has to change. Yes this hasn't happened in 45 years at WDW, but why did it happen now, what changed? Was it just chance or has something changed?

One theory is the Polynesian Bungalows. The balconies on those are over the water, but a safe distance away. So the question is, have people staying in those been feeding Gators on a more regular basis?

Or could it just be that it's pretty much a natural lake (rather than man-made) at this point. Everything has become so overgrown and swampy to the point where i'd never consider going near that water without being in a boat. It was bound to happen since it connects to a natural lake. The ecosystems have just taken over.

 

[Teebin]

^ I still marvel at how big Disney built things back then. It was almost ridiculous.

 

[Scott W.]

One theory is the Polynesian Bungalows. The balconies on those are over the water, but a safe distance away. So the question is, have people staying in those been feeding Gators on a more regular basis?

Or could it just be that it's pretty much a natural lake (rather than man-made) at this point. Everything has become so overgrown and swampy to the point where i'd never consider going near that water without being in a boat. It was bound to happen since it connects to a natural lake. The ecosystems have just taken over.

People feeding them could be the answer and not just in the balconies. Although I don't know what gators would eat that people eat.

 

[Nick]

People feeding them could be the answer and not just in the balconies. Although I don't know what gators would eat that people eat.

Everything you throw at them

 

[Mad Dog]

CNN is reporting that Disney is putting up alligator warning signs.

 

[Scott W.]

Everything you throw at them

Not to be funny but like funions and gummy bears? The typical tourist crap people buy.

 

[Nick]

Not to be funny but like funions and gummy bears? The typical tourist crap people buy.

They may not end up eating it, but they's try. And that's the dangerous part. They get too comfortable with humans.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

One theory is the Polynesian Bungalows. The balconies on those are over the water, but a safe distance away. So the question is, have people staying in those been feeding Gators on a more regular basis?

Or could it just be that it's pretty much a natural lake (rather than man-made) at this point. Everything has become so overgrown and swampy to the point where i'd never consider going near that water without being in a boat. It was bound to happen since it connects to a natural lake. The ecosystems have just taken over.

I JUST found this.

Gator Attack: Disney Knew of Problems, Staffer Asked for Fence at Lagoon (Exclusive)

Yes, feeding, that might be the issue.

 

[Teebin]

What a self made mess this is.

 

[Mad Dog]

What a self made mess this is.

When a company is in a cost cutting mode, they will not make corrections unless they are forced to. This is one of those situations that they will be forced to.

 

[UniversalCityFL]

Easy to point the finger of blame at Disney, but what is the solution?

Fence the whole lake?

Kill all the gators?

Disconnect the lagoon from the surrounding ecosystem?


There's no good solution. You also have to remember that putting up signs (which is always everyone's initial solution when something goes wrong) are a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't kinda thing from a legal angle. Putting up a sign warning of gators is an admission that there is a gator problem and exposes the company to risk. If this same incident happened in a world where there were signs, a lawyer could argue that Disney KNEW that gators were in the lake, so why did they allow beach access? Why do they have bungalows over the water? Why are you having your guests sleep mere feet from a known killer animal habitat?

It would be like if I invited you over my house and I had a sign up that said "don't lean against the banister!" And you accidentally did and fell off the balcony. You could sue and say that i clearly knew there was an existing problem that I didn't fix because I put up a sign. But if I had no sign and you leaned against the bannister, I could say I didn't know it was broken.

My point is that Disney could have known there were gators in the lake and decided NOT to put up signs after assessing the risk from the signs versus the risk from a possible attack.

Keep in mind I'm just examining this from a legal point of view, not a human point of view.

 

[Miketheboss]

At the 2 min mark, kids are playing in the water. Every 10 feet there should be a sign. The problem is that they make it look like a beach. Thats like giving someone a cupcake with plastic sprinkles.