More Sad News From Orlando......

what dreams said:

PJ_Soul said:

Well I would personally assume that if I'm at a Disney resort there wouldn't be any alligators in the man-made ponds. Without any signs, I would actually assume that the resort would have made a point of making sure the guests wouldn't be attacked by alligators, which would mean either warning signs or no alligators. I would also not expect alligators not to be in the swimming pools in a Disney resort. Kind of like I expect not to wake up with a rat crawling over my face at the Four Seasons.

Well, I guess I'm just not that naive about things.

Some people live their life thinking, "It will never happen to me."

I live my life thinking, "Anything that can happen, will happen."

Lol, well the thing is, I am one of the least "it will never happen to me" people ever. I actually totally think shit could happen to me and probably will. So no, that is absolutely not what I'm saying. I just also expect massive companies rolling in money to manage their responsibilities properly. A fucking man made pond in a Disney resort that is lousy with killer alligators??? Come on. Hindsight is 20/20, but this is a pretty ludicrous thing to expect people to have foreknowledge of or paranoia about. It sounds like you're saying that anyone who didn't expect their kid to be attacked by an alligator while ankle deep in a man made pond in a Disney resort that has absolutely no warning signs and no mention by anyone there that it's a danger are naive idiots, and I think that's bordering on disgusting on your part.

Who said they didn't know there are alligators in Florida??

what dreams said:

Quit putting words in my mouth. I have not said once that the parents should have expected this. In fact, I've said multiple times that I feel compassion for their loss.

My comments about people's stupidity are directed toward all the posters in this thread who claim they wouldn't expect there to be alligators in Florida. That lack of common knowledge stuns me. Like you said, there are bears in Canada. People just know that shit. It would be a horrible freak accident to be attacked by one at a resort. But I wouldn't be a dumb ass and say, "I never knew there are bears in Canada" and then sue the resort if my kid got eaten by one.

It's all about understanding the scope of threat.

Someone would be pretty stupid to not investigate a natural body of water for threat, but there's an assumption of safety at Disneyworld. Get on a ride... expect to get off at the end of it. Walk through the grounds... expect to not be accosted. Dip your toes in a body of water... expect to pull them out intact without encountering a dangerous animal.

Disneyworld has a heightened level of responsibility because they cater to young children. Yes... parents bring these young children... but they bring them to the secure and safe playground Disney presents itself to be. If they want alligators, then they'll tent in the swamps.

Agreed, people expect to be safe and go back home.

But I also know, every time I've gotten on an amusement park ride, that something terribly awful could go wrong. It doesn't stop me from riding the ride, but if something went wrong, I would accept my reponsibilty in assuming the risk.

I used to water ski in a man made lake. I knew there could be water moccasins in the lake. One time I saw one about 20 yards from the boat while I was getting my skis on. If I had gotten bit, I wouldn't have sued the power company that made the lake.

I feel terrible for these parents. It was an innocent night out for them that ended in horror. They didn't know (apparently a fact I have to accept after reading through this post and seeing how uneducated people are about Florida).

But I just dont agree that its Disney's fault they didn't know. Why is it that everyone just assumes Disney doesn't care about its guests, that they don't care if something like this happens? That they deliberately didn't hang alligator posters everywhere because they want to trap 2 year-olds in lagoons? They obviously cared enough to put up a sign that says "no swimming." I see "no swimming" signs everywhere. When I see them, I stop to think about why and assess my surroundings. I feel compassion for the parents, but I don't jump on Disney for making perfectly logical assumptions about the intelligence of their adult guests. Given that I am also guilty of assuming people have brains, I find it easy to see both sides.

chadwick said:

a man made pond or a natural pond means what exactly? gators don't care as long as it's water. i myself do believe there are gators everywhere down in florida. how does disney or any other resort keep gators out? it is nearly impossible i would imagine.

And you would be correct. Trust me, after living in FL for 46 years, anywhere there is a body of water near by, there could be a gator.

EM194007 said:

chadwick said:

a man made pond or a natural pond means what exactly? gators don't care as long as it's water. i myself do believe there are gators everywhere down in florida. how does disney or any other resort keep gators out? it is nearly impossible i would imagine.

And you would be correct. Trust me, after living in FL for 46 years, anywhere there is a body of water near by, there could be a gator.

Exactly. Because what alligator knows the difference between a man made lagoon or a natural one?

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

Signage. Fences. As Cincy said... awareness cards in the room. These are all items that would suggest Disney did its part to make guests aware of the risks.

It's the same thing as a spill in a public place. Someone is required to clean it up and the area is typically marked off with a cone to indicate a spill. Yes... I can see there has been a spill, but that is irrelevant... it is incumbent upon the site to minimize risks.

Argue all you want, but if you operate a place of business and have people enter your place of business... you have a responsibility. This is the law.

I typically argue for personal responsibility, however in this instance... I see gross negligence. If the above items were evident and Disney had not ignored requests to remove gators... I would suggest the parents were neglectful (as I did with the mother and her child in the gorilla compound).

I don't see gross negligence at all. I see small oversight and some things Disney can do better. But again, signs won't do anything longterm. How many of you slow down when driving after seeing a deer crossing sign? You do for a few month after you hit deer, but not after that. Disney needs to discuss with its lawyers and the local law about this. And it's either a simple information card in the rooms or they will have to fence around the water. And really no one wants or thinks a fence is needed do they?

Dirtie_Frank said:

More damning news for Disney

https://www.yahoo.com/news/disney-warned-alligators-one-went-062835940.html

Officials at Walt World were well aware of the potential dangers posed by alligators that lived at the resort long before one killed a toddler earlier this week, according to new reports.

In a conversation with CBS News, a San Diego attorney named David Hiden said he notified a manager at the Coronado Springs Resort — part of the the Orlando Disney World complex — in April 2015 after an alligator “rapidly” came after his son, who was wading in the hotel’s lagoon.

“And the response, I couldn’t believe it,” he said in the interview. According to Hiden, the manager replied, “Those are resident pets, and we’ve known about them for years. And they’re harmless, they’re not going to attack anybody.”

If this is true, how can anyone think Disney isn't negligent here?

what dreams said:

Quit putting words in my mouth. I have not said once that the parents should have expected this. In fact, I've said multiple times that I feel compassion for their loss.

My comments about people's stupidity are directed toward all the posters in this thread who claim they wouldn't expect there to be alligators in Florida. That lack of common knowledge stuns me. Like you said, there are bears in Canada. People just know that shit. It would be a horrible freak accident to be attacked by one at a resort. But I wouldn't be a dumb ass and say, "I never knew there are bears in Canada" and then sue the resort if my kid got eaten by one.

everyone knows there are alligators in florida. I have not seen one poster say anything about not knowing about gators in florida. people are referring to them being within city limits. I wouldn't expect to get eaten or attacked by a bear or a moose on a closed in resort in Canada, nor would I expect there to be alligators lurking in the waters near a hotel in Disney. it's a man made lagoon. since this incident, I have seen pictures of alligators on golf courses, in the street, in swimming pools, etc, and that stunned the fuck out of me. I'd never let my kid out of my sight if I lived there. But not living there, you wouldn't know this shit. and you simply can't expect someone to go online and search "dangers of florida" before their trip. it's not Myanmar. it's fucking florida. and like pjsoul said, you would have a pretty decent expectation that a place like disney, which caters to children/families, wouldn't have modern day dinosaurs on their property.

Yes everyone knows there are alligators in FL....including Disney