Also from Canada and since I pay no attention to sports why would I know there is a team called the "Florida gators" and that means that there are gators in Florida. A province to the west of me has a sports team called the BC lions and as you may have guessed it savvanah animals roam everywhere in Canada. We also have a sports team named "the raptors", you will be surprised to run into a dino in downtown Toronto. Good grief. Not everybody knows about gators it isn't something to debate, and not something your sports team supports.
I was going to say that Florida also has a team called the Seminoles and I don't think that people fear that Indians are going to run after them with bows and arrows.
Bottom line...a loving family took a special vacation and attended a beach related activity sponsored by the park/resort. A rare, freak accident occurred resulting in a little child that lost their life. What an absolute tragedy for the family and for everyone involved!
There was a sign posted that said "no swimming". As the police stated, the child was not swimming. He was doing what 2 year olds do. He was standing at the water's edge. Was he splashing...maybe. Was he wading....technically??? Thousands of two year olds from all over the world have done the same thing as him, in very similar spots all over the banks of the Seven Seas Lagoon. My children stood in the shallow water's edge at the Poly a year earlier. Did I tell them to get out...yes...bc I thought that the water was gross. I can't recall if I saw a sign that said "no swimming". I am an educated person that lives in South Carolina - a coastal, Southern state with alligators. However, I would assume that there was no swimming in this man made lake bc #1: there are no lifeguards on duty #2: it is dangerous bc this body of water has boats traveling to and fro as Disney transportation and #3 that the water is unclean due to gas, oil, etc. that may leak from these vehicles and possibly with bacteria since it is warm standing water. I doubt many people even know about "River Country" or incidents from 20+ years ago. Not once did I think about alligators. For the record - "no swimming" is different than "no diving" which is different than "stay out of the water".
People from all over the globe know what a picture of an alligator means, even if they cannot read English. I have been to many neighborhoods, resorts and golf courses that have signs that say "Beware of Alligators", "Do not feed the alligators", "Watch out for Alligators". These places have these signs to warn guests and selfishly, to protect themselves. I do not think it is fair to assume that anyone would know that there was a danger of alligators at the water's edge of the Grand Floridian during a resort sponsored evening activity, especially since no warnings were posted. There were no signs on the property giving warning to alligators.
From a legal standpoint, it has been mentioned by law enforcement that the child was not swimming. I wish everyone would stop debating this topic.
As mentioned in previous posts, there are no lifeguards on the beaches of the resorts around the Seven Seas Lagoon. The lifeguard came from the pool area. The child was not 10 yards from the shore playing the water when the incident happened. His dead body was discovered there.
As a parent of two little children, this has struck me in a big way. I cannot imagine the grief that the family is facing and will face for the rest of their lives.
Will there be a lawsuit? Maybe. For now, I say that instead of judging or "playing attorney" with limited legal knowledge, can't we just respect the fact that an innocent little boy died on a special family vacation to Walt Disney World. This family has to fly home with the dead body of their child. These are intelligent, loving parents. If they thought their child was in danger, my guess is that they would not have internationally put him in harms way.
so heartbreaking.
