Alligator attacks 2-year-old boy at Disney World, recovery effort continues
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Dad says 2 gators involved in Disney attack that killed son
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First posted: Sunday, July 03, 2016 07:04 PM EDT | Updated: Sunday, July 03, 2016 07:25 PM EDT
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The father of a toddler killed by an alligator at Disney last month told rescue officials two alligators were involved in the attack, according to emails from the Reedy Creek Fire Department.
Matt Graves said he was attacked by a second alligator as he tried to reach his 2-year-old son after the boy was pulled into the water outside Disney's upscale Grand Floridian Resort.
Capt. Tom Wellons described his interaction with the Nebraska father in emails to his supervisors obtained by The Orlando Sentinel (Records: Father of toddler attacked at Disney by alligator said two gators involved - Orlando Sentinel ). Wellons said Graves initially refused to leave the area as rescuers searched for little Lane Graves even though the father needed stitches and antibiotics from gator bite marks. Wellons said he eventually persuaded Graves to get medical treatment, promising he could return afterward.
"This incredibly sweet couple insisted on showing us pictures of their happy son. (The) mom kept referring to him as her 'happy boy,'" Wellons wrote in the emails.
On the way to the hospital, Graves shared "the horror that he experienced" as his son was being pulled into the water and "how another gator attacked him as he fought for his son," according to the email to supervisors.
The emails were forwarded to Orange County officials to alert them there may be a second gator. The boy's body was discovered intact about 15 yards from the shore, six feet underwater.
Signs posted in the area advised against swimming but did not warn of alligators.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials have said they're "confident" they caught the alligator that killed the boy.
Agency records listed 15 alligators caught on Disney property from the beginning of this year through May. It didn't include the six trapped since the June 14 attack.
Walt Disney World recently erected "No fishing" signs on several properties. Fishing at Disney World is now limited to excursions. Netting was also added to the rope fences that were installed after the attack and hotel beaches are now being staffed by employees and closing at night, except during fireworks.
Disney has beaches at eight hotels and at the Fort Wilderness campground.
In this Friday, June, 17, 2016 file photo released by Walt Disney World Resort, a new sign is seen posted on a beach outside a hotel at a Walt Disney World resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a 2-year-old Nebraska boy killed by an alligator at Disney World. (Walt Disney World Resort via AP, File)
Dad says 2 gators involved in Disney attack that killed son | World | News | Tor
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First posted: Sunday, July 03, 2016 07:04 PM EDT | Updated: Sunday, July 03, 2016 07:25 PM EDT
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The father of a toddler killed by an alligator at Disney last month told rescue officials two alligators were involved in the attack, according to emails from the Reedy Creek Fire Department.
Matt Graves said he was attacked by a second alligator as he tried to reach his 2-year-old son after the boy was pulled into the water outside Disney's upscale Grand Floridian Resort.
Capt. Tom Wellons described his interaction with the Nebraska father in emails to his supervisors obtained by The Orlando Sentinel (Records: Father of toddler attacked at Disney by alligator said two gators involved - Orlando Sentinel ). Wellons said Graves initially refused to leave the area as rescuers searched for little Lane Graves even though the father needed stitches and antibiotics from gator bite marks. Wellons said he eventually persuaded Graves to get medical treatment, promising he could return afterward.
"This incredibly sweet couple insisted on showing us pictures of their happy son. (The) mom kept referring to him as her 'happy boy,'" Wellons wrote in the emails.
On the way to the hospital, Graves shared "the horror that he experienced" as his son was being pulled into the water and "how another gator attacked him as he fought for his son," according to the email to supervisors.
The emails were forwarded to Orange County officials to alert them there may be a second gator. The boy's body was discovered intact about 15 yards from the shore, six feet underwater.
Signs posted in the area advised against swimming but did not warn of alligators.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials have said they're "confident" they caught the alligator that killed the boy.
Agency records listed 15 alligators caught on Disney property from the beginning of this year through May. It didn't include the six trapped since the June 14 attack.
Walt Disney World recently erected "No fishing" signs on several properties. Fishing at Disney World is now limited to excursions. Netting was also added to the rope fences that were installed after the attack and hotel beaches are now being staffed by employees and closing at night, except during fireworks.
Disney has beaches at eight hotels and at the Fort Wilderness campground.
In this Friday, June, 17, 2016 file photo released by Walt Disney World Resort, a new sign is seen posted on a beach outside a hotel at a Walt Disney World resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a 2-year-old Nebraska boy killed by an alligator at Disney World. (Walt Disney World Resort via AP, File)
Dad says 2 gators involved in Disney attack that killed son | World | News | Tor
Disney builds stone wall at lake where alligator killed boy
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First posted: Sunday, August 07, 2016 12:06 PM EDT | Updated: Sunday, August 07, 2016 12:14 PM EDT
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Workers are building a stone wall around a Walt Disney World lake where an alligator killed a toddler earlier this summer.
Disney officials told the Orlando Sentinel for a story published Sunday that the barrier wall is part of the new security plan following the death of 2-year-old Lane Graves of Omaha, Nebraska. The boulder wall is going up along the beaches of the Seven Seas Lagoon where several resorts are located.
Disney also put up warning signs and ropes after Graves was dragged by an alligator into the lake on June 14. The boy's body was found 16 hours later and an autopsy showed he died from drowning and traumatic injuries.
The family decided not to file a lawsuit against Disney.
In this June, 17, 2016 file photo released by Walt Disney World Resort, a new sign is seen posted on a beach outside a hotel after a 2-year-old Nebraska boy was killed by an alligator at Disney World. (Walt Disney World Resort via AP, File)
Disney builds stone wall at lake where alligator killed boy | World | News | Tor
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First posted: Sunday, August 07, 2016 12:06 PM EDT | Updated: Sunday, August 07, 2016 12:14 PM EDT
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Workers are building a stone wall around a Walt Disney World lake where an alligator killed a toddler earlier this summer.
Disney officials told the Orlando Sentinel for a story published Sunday that the barrier wall is part of the new security plan following the death of 2-year-old Lane Graves of Omaha, Nebraska. The boulder wall is going up along the beaches of the Seven Seas Lagoon where several resorts are located.
Disney also put up warning signs and ropes after Graves was dragged by an alligator into the lake on June 14. The boy's body was found 16 hours later and an autopsy showed he died from drowning and traumatic injuries.
The family decided not to file a lawsuit against Disney.
In this June, 17, 2016 file photo released by Walt Disney World Resort, a new sign is seen posted on a beach outside a hotel after a 2-year-old Nebraska boy was killed by an alligator at Disney World. (Walt Disney World Resort via AP, File)
Disney builds stone wall at lake where alligator killed boy | World | News | Tor
Alligator in Disney attack bit boy's head: Report
Mike Schneider, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First posted: Monday, August 22, 2016 04:25 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, August 22, 2016 05:40 PM EDT
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The father of a toddler killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World last June reached into the animal's mouth in an attempt to free his son's head from the reptile's jaw, according to a final report on the death released Monday by Florida's wildlife agency.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report said that the 7-foot alligator bit 2-year-old Lane Graves' head as the boy bent down at the edge of a lagoon gathering sand for a sandcastle at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and that the boy died from a crushing bite and drowning.
Separately, the Orange County Sheriff's Office released its report and ruled the death an accident. One witness, a 16-year-old tourist, said he was walking with his younger siblings on a beach-area walkway when he heard a scream from the lagoon and saw the alligator taking the boy away.
"The alligator first came in head first toward the beach but turned around once it had the child in its mouth and crawled back into the water headfirst," Peter Courakos told deputies.
Several guests at the resort reported seeing the alligator swimming in the lagoon shortly before the attack.
Tourist Alfred Smith said he photographed the alligator from his hotel room balcony about an hour and a half before the attack. A short time before the attack, he said, he saw children playing in the ankle-deep water. He was heading out the door to warn them about the alligator when he heard Lane's mother screaming, the wildlife agency report said.
Another tourist, Shawna Giacomini told investigators her two daughters saw the alligator five feet from shore about 45 minutes before the attack. The eldest daughter told a Disney employee about it, and that employee went to inform another Disney worker. The Giacominis went to a nearby store and when they returned the boy had been attacked, according to the wildlife agency's report.
Disney lifeguard Christopher Tubbs told deputies that after the boy was snatched he saw Lane's feet sticking out about 20 feet from shore.
"He saw the alligator start slash(ing) around and the shoes went under the water and the alligator began its death roll," the sheriff's office report said.
The wildlife agency's report said Lane did nothing to provoke the alligator and that the death is classified as a predatory attack.
The alligator may have had a diminished fear of people by being in an area with lots of humans, and wildlife officials are still investigating if alligator feeding took place, according to the wildlife agency.
Lane's parents have said publicly they don't plan to sue Walt Disney World over the death.
After Lane's death, Disney World made changes to limit possible visitor contact with alligators on the property.
Workers were building a stone wall around the lagoon and "No Fishing" signs were installed around waterfront areas. Fishing at Disney World was changed to be limited only to excursions.
In this Friday, June, 17, 2016 file photo released by Walt Disney World Resort, a new sign is seen posted on a beach outside a hotel at a Walt Disney World resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a 2-year-old Nebraska boy killed by an alligator at Disney World. Matt Graves, the father of the toddler killed by an alligator at Disney on June 14, told rescue officials two alligators were involved in the attack, according to emails from the Reedy Creek Fire Department. (Walt Disney World Resort via AP, File)
Alligator in Disney attack bit boy's head: Report | World | News | Toronto Sun
Mike Schneider, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First posted: Monday, August 22, 2016 04:25 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, August 22, 2016 05:40 PM EDT
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The father of a toddler killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World last June reached into the animal's mouth in an attempt to free his son's head from the reptile's jaw, according to a final report on the death released Monday by Florida's wildlife agency.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report said that the 7-foot alligator bit 2-year-old Lane Graves' head as the boy bent down at the edge of a lagoon gathering sand for a sandcastle at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and that the boy died from a crushing bite and drowning.
Separately, the Orange County Sheriff's Office released its report and ruled the death an accident. One witness, a 16-year-old tourist, said he was walking with his younger siblings on a beach-area walkway when he heard a scream from the lagoon and saw the alligator taking the boy away.
"The alligator first came in head first toward the beach but turned around once it had the child in its mouth and crawled back into the water headfirst," Peter Courakos told deputies.
Several guests at the resort reported seeing the alligator swimming in the lagoon shortly before the attack.
Tourist Alfred Smith said he photographed the alligator from his hotel room balcony about an hour and a half before the attack. A short time before the attack, he said, he saw children playing in the ankle-deep water. He was heading out the door to warn them about the alligator when he heard Lane's mother screaming, the wildlife agency report said.
Another tourist, Shawna Giacomini told investigators her two daughters saw the alligator five feet from shore about 45 minutes before the attack. The eldest daughter told a Disney employee about it, and that employee went to inform another Disney worker. The Giacominis went to a nearby store and when they returned the boy had been attacked, according to the wildlife agency's report.
Disney lifeguard Christopher Tubbs told deputies that after the boy was snatched he saw Lane's feet sticking out about 20 feet from shore.
"He saw the alligator start slash(ing) around and the shoes went under the water and the alligator began its death roll," the sheriff's office report said.
The wildlife agency's report said Lane did nothing to provoke the alligator and that the death is classified as a predatory attack.
The alligator may have had a diminished fear of people by being in an area with lots of humans, and wildlife officials are still investigating if alligator feeding took place, according to the wildlife agency.
Lane's parents have said publicly they don't plan to sue Walt Disney World over the death.
After Lane's death, Disney World made changes to limit possible visitor contact with alligators on the property.
Workers were building a stone wall around the lagoon and "No Fishing" signs were installed around waterfront areas. Fishing at Disney World was changed to be limited only to excursions.
In this Friday, June, 17, 2016 file photo released by Walt Disney World Resort, a new sign is seen posted on a beach outside a hotel at a Walt Disney World resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a 2-year-old Nebraska boy killed by an alligator at Disney World. Matt Graves, the father of the toddler killed by an alligator at Disney on June 14, told rescue officials two alligators were involved in the attack, according to emails from the Reedy Creek Fire Department. (Walt Disney World Resort via AP, File)
Alligator in Disney attack bit boy's head: Report | World | News | Toronto Sun
Disney employees warned of alligator minutes before toddler killed: Report
Michael E. Miller, Washington Post
First posted: Tuesday, August 23, 2016 09:53 AM EDT | Updated: Tuesday, August 23, 2016 10:21 AM EDT
At least two tourists warned Walt Disney World employees just minutes before an alligator fatally attacked a two-year-old boy, according to an investigative report released this week.
The findings raise fresh questions about the extent to which Disney bears responsibility for the June 14 incident, which made headlines around the world.
The report by Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also confirmed that Disney did not have signs warning of alligators around a lagoon at its Grand Floridian Resort & Spa near Orlando.
The FWC investigation did not discuss Disney's policies or what role they might have played in the death of the toddler, Lane Thomas Graves. The report was obtained and posted online by Channel 6 in Orlando. Disney declined comment, according to CNN.
Days after the incident, the Graves family said that it was "broken" by the tragedy but "will not be pursuing a lawsuit against Disney." It's unclear if the report will alter that decision.
Disney has made efforts to improve safety at the resort since the attack, which the company called a "tragic accident."
---
Building sand castles, then a bite out of the blue
Lane Graves stooped over the surface of the water, his small hands clutching a tiny bucket.
His father was just a few feet away, waiting for his son to return so they could build a sand castle - something the family couldn't do back home in the suburbs of Omaha.
Suddenly, Matt Graves heard a splash.
He thought the sound was a fish jumping, he told FWC investigators.
Instead, it was an alligator, seven or eight feet in length, bursting out of the water toward his son.
"I saw it come out to get him," he told investigators. Lane, with his blue eyes and toothy grin, was bent over the water.
The alligator "bit his head," his father said.
When the animal began pulling Lane back into the lagoon, Matt jumped in after it, reaching into the alligator's mouth and grabbing its teeth in a valiant but vain attempt to save his son.
The gator whipped itself back and forth, then retreated into the water with its prey, according to witnesses.
"It just took off," Matt said, leaving him with bleeding hands but no son.
The sun was setting, and in the gloaming, Matt could not see where the alligator had gone.
Christopher Tubbs, a resort employee, rushed over. He told Matt and his wife, Melissa, to stay out of the water, according to the report.
As bystanders and resort personnel called 911, the parents desperately scanned the water for sign of their son.
So did Tubbs. He saw an alligator 15-25 feet out into the lagoon, swimming away from the beach.
"He believes that he saw the victim being taken further out by the alligator, then says they both submerged," according to the report.
It was likely the last time anyone saw Lane alive.
Rescuers searched all night but could not find the toddler. The next day, divers discovered his body about six feet beneath the surface, not far from where he had been attacked.
---
He 'was going out the door to warn them when he heard the mother screaming'
According to the FWC report, at least two tourists warned Disney employees that they had seen an alligator just minutes before the deadly attack.
It's unclear from the report what action, if any, those employees took after being notified of the animal lurking in the lagoon.
At around 7:30 p.m., roughly an hour and a half before the incident, Jason Ochs saw an alligator swimming in the artificial lake.
Ochs was on his hotel balcony when he spotted the animal, which was "swimming from the island southeast of the hotel, toward the beach area," according to the report.
The report does not mention Ochs notifying employees of the animal.
It does, however, say two other tourists reported sighting the creature.
The first warning came from Alfred Smith.
The South Carolinian was on his hotel porch at 7:41 p.m. when he saw an alligator in the Seven Seas Lagoon and snapped a photo of it.
"He pointed the animal out to an unknown WDW employee who saw the alligator," the report said, using an acronym for Walt Disney World. The FWC investigation did not identify that employee or say whether he or she took any type of action after the warning.
More than an hour later, Smith saw kids playing at the edge of the lagoon and became alarmed, he told investigators.
He "was going out the door to warn them when he heard the mother screaming."
The second warning came shortly before the attack, according to the investigation.
Shawna Giacomini from North Carolina was on the beach at around 8:15 p.m. when her two daughters, ages 15 and nine, noticed the gator.
"The daughters saw an alligator about five feet from shore, near the marsh," according to the report. The resort was showing an outdoor movie, "Zootopia," which was about to begin.
"The eldest daughter told the WDW AV/Movie Co-ordinator about the alligator," according to the report. "The person she told ran to a man whose shirt said 'Co-ordinator' and told him about the alligator."
Again, it is unclear from the report whether Disney employees did anything after the warning.
The Giacominis left the beach and went to the resort's store, according to the report.
"When they returned, the attack had already occurred."
---
Quick improvements but lingering legal questions
In the days after the attack, animal experts and legal scholars debated if Disney had done enough to prevent the attack.
Some said it was "impossible" to keep alligators out of bodies of water in Florida, and that the attack was simply "bad luck."
Others, however, said the company could be held liable if there was proof of negligence.
Some critics pointed to the Grand Floridian's own website, which encouraged guests to "bask on the white-sand beach" abutting the lagoon, or the fact that there were no signs warning of alligators, only "no swimming" signs.
"The hotel owes a duty of care to its customers to take reasonable measures to make the premises safe," Alan Sykes, a professor at Stanford Law School, told The Washington Post in a June 15 article. "That would include if there are hidden hazards in a lagoon on the hotel property."
Sykes, who at the time stressed he did not know all the details of the attack, said a key question would be whether the resort had prior knowledge of alligators in the water near the hotel and what it had done to mitigate that issue, or at least adequately warn tourists of the potential dangers.
"If it gets litigated, it's most likely a case about reasonable warning," he said.
In the weeks since the attack, the resort made a number of safety improvements, including posting signs warning of "alligators and snakes in the area" and erecting a fence - later upgraded to a wall - around the lagoon, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Despite the legal questions and resort improvements, however, the Graves family said it had no intention of suing.
It remains to be seen whether the family rethinks that decision in light of the FWC report released Monday.
The report did not delve into Disney's safety policies.
It did, however, state that the alligator "lived in a high human use area and may have had a diminished fear of people."
Orange County, where the attack occurred, ranks fifth out of Florida's 67 counties in the number of unprovoked gator bites with 17 in the past 66 years, the report said. The June 14 incident was the first such attack to prove fatal.
Several factors may have contributed to the attack, according to the report. Alligators tend to hunt at dawn or dusk, and Lane likely appeared even smaller than he was because he was hunched over trying to fill his bucket with water.
The report also noted that the FWC is still investigating "incidents of alligator feeding near the attack location," although "preliminary investigation into these incidents indicate that no correlation can be made."
After the attack, investigators caught, killed and examined six alligators, two of which were found within two-tenths of a mile from the site of the attack. Those two gators, both female, had empty stomachs, "indicating their drive for food would be strong," the report found.
After comparing the animals' teeth to the puncture wounds on Lane's head and neck, however, efforts to identify the culprit were "inconclusive."
"While we cannot say with absolute certainty that the subject animal has been taken, we are confident that the evidence gathered shows it is very likely that one of the two females captured close to the attack location was the offending animal," the report said.
In this June, 17, 2016 file photo released by Walt Disney World Resort, a new sign is seen posted on a beach outside a hotel after a 2-year-old Nebraska boy was killed by an alligator at Disney World. (Walt Disney World Resort via AP, File)
Disney employees warned of alligator minutes before toddler killed: Report | Wor
Michael E. Miller, Washington Post
First posted: Tuesday, August 23, 2016 09:53 AM EDT | Updated: Tuesday, August 23, 2016 10:21 AM EDT
At least two tourists warned Walt Disney World employees just minutes before an alligator fatally attacked a two-year-old boy, according to an investigative report released this week.
The findings raise fresh questions about the extent to which Disney bears responsibility for the June 14 incident, which made headlines around the world.
The report by Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also confirmed that Disney did not have signs warning of alligators around a lagoon at its Grand Floridian Resort & Spa near Orlando.
The FWC investigation did not discuss Disney's policies or what role they might have played in the death of the toddler, Lane Thomas Graves. The report was obtained and posted online by Channel 6 in Orlando. Disney declined comment, according to CNN.
Days after the incident, the Graves family said that it was "broken" by the tragedy but "will not be pursuing a lawsuit against Disney." It's unclear if the report will alter that decision.
Disney has made efforts to improve safety at the resort since the attack, which the company called a "tragic accident."
---
Building sand castles, then a bite out of the blue
Lane Graves stooped over the surface of the water, his small hands clutching a tiny bucket.
His father was just a few feet away, waiting for his son to return so they could build a sand castle - something the family couldn't do back home in the suburbs of Omaha.
Suddenly, Matt Graves heard a splash.
He thought the sound was a fish jumping, he told FWC investigators.
Instead, it was an alligator, seven or eight feet in length, bursting out of the water toward his son.
"I saw it come out to get him," he told investigators. Lane, with his blue eyes and toothy grin, was bent over the water.
The alligator "bit his head," his father said.
When the animal began pulling Lane back into the lagoon, Matt jumped in after it, reaching into the alligator's mouth and grabbing its teeth in a valiant but vain attempt to save his son.
The gator whipped itself back and forth, then retreated into the water with its prey, according to witnesses.
"It just took off," Matt said, leaving him with bleeding hands but no son.
The sun was setting, and in the gloaming, Matt could not see where the alligator had gone.
Christopher Tubbs, a resort employee, rushed over. He told Matt and his wife, Melissa, to stay out of the water, according to the report.
As bystanders and resort personnel called 911, the parents desperately scanned the water for sign of their son.
So did Tubbs. He saw an alligator 15-25 feet out into the lagoon, swimming away from the beach.
"He believes that he saw the victim being taken further out by the alligator, then says they both submerged," according to the report.
It was likely the last time anyone saw Lane alive.
Rescuers searched all night but could not find the toddler. The next day, divers discovered his body about six feet beneath the surface, not far from where he had been attacked.
---
He 'was going out the door to warn them when he heard the mother screaming'
According to the FWC report, at least two tourists warned Disney employees that they had seen an alligator just minutes before the deadly attack.
It's unclear from the report what action, if any, those employees took after being notified of the animal lurking in the lagoon.
At around 7:30 p.m., roughly an hour and a half before the incident, Jason Ochs saw an alligator swimming in the artificial lake.
Ochs was on his hotel balcony when he spotted the animal, which was "swimming from the island southeast of the hotel, toward the beach area," according to the report.
The report does not mention Ochs notifying employees of the animal.
It does, however, say two other tourists reported sighting the creature.
The first warning came from Alfred Smith.
The South Carolinian was on his hotel porch at 7:41 p.m. when he saw an alligator in the Seven Seas Lagoon and snapped a photo of it.
"He pointed the animal out to an unknown WDW employee who saw the alligator," the report said, using an acronym for Walt Disney World. The FWC investigation did not identify that employee or say whether he or she took any type of action after the warning.
More than an hour later, Smith saw kids playing at the edge of the lagoon and became alarmed, he told investigators.
He "was going out the door to warn them when he heard the mother screaming."
The second warning came shortly before the attack, according to the investigation.
Shawna Giacomini from North Carolina was on the beach at around 8:15 p.m. when her two daughters, ages 15 and nine, noticed the gator.
"The daughters saw an alligator about five feet from shore, near the marsh," according to the report. The resort was showing an outdoor movie, "Zootopia," which was about to begin.
"The eldest daughter told the WDW AV/Movie Co-ordinator about the alligator," according to the report. "The person she told ran to a man whose shirt said 'Co-ordinator' and told him about the alligator."
Again, it is unclear from the report whether Disney employees did anything after the warning.
The Giacominis left the beach and went to the resort's store, according to the report.
"When they returned, the attack had already occurred."
---
Quick improvements but lingering legal questions
In the days after the attack, animal experts and legal scholars debated if Disney had done enough to prevent the attack.
Some said it was "impossible" to keep alligators out of bodies of water in Florida, and that the attack was simply "bad luck."
Others, however, said the company could be held liable if there was proof of negligence.
Some critics pointed to the Grand Floridian's own website, which encouraged guests to "bask on the white-sand beach" abutting the lagoon, or the fact that there were no signs warning of alligators, only "no swimming" signs.
"The hotel owes a duty of care to its customers to take reasonable measures to make the premises safe," Alan Sykes, a professor at Stanford Law School, told The Washington Post in a June 15 article. "That would include if there are hidden hazards in a lagoon on the hotel property."
Sykes, who at the time stressed he did not know all the details of the attack, said a key question would be whether the resort had prior knowledge of alligators in the water near the hotel and what it had done to mitigate that issue, or at least adequately warn tourists of the potential dangers.
"If it gets litigated, it's most likely a case about reasonable warning," he said.
In the weeks since the attack, the resort made a number of safety improvements, including posting signs warning of "alligators and snakes in the area" and erecting a fence - later upgraded to a wall - around the lagoon, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Despite the legal questions and resort improvements, however, the Graves family said it had no intention of suing.
It remains to be seen whether the family rethinks that decision in light of the FWC report released Monday.
The report did not delve into Disney's safety policies.
It did, however, state that the alligator "lived in a high human use area and may have had a diminished fear of people."
Orange County, where the attack occurred, ranks fifth out of Florida's 67 counties in the number of unprovoked gator bites with 17 in the past 66 years, the report said. The June 14 incident was the first such attack to prove fatal.
Several factors may have contributed to the attack, according to the report. Alligators tend to hunt at dawn or dusk, and Lane likely appeared even smaller than he was because he was hunched over trying to fill his bucket with water.
The report also noted that the FWC is still investigating "incidents of alligator feeding near the attack location," although "preliminary investigation into these incidents indicate that no correlation can be made."
After the attack, investigators caught, killed and examined six alligators, two of which were found within two-tenths of a mile from the site of the attack. Those two gators, both female, had empty stomachs, "indicating their drive for food would be strong," the report found.
After comparing the animals' teeth to the puncture wounds on Lane's head and neck, however, efforts to identify the culprit were "inconclusive."
"While we cannot say with absolute certainty that the subject animal has been taken, we are confident that the evidence gathered shows it is very likely that one of the two females captured close to the attack location was the offending animal," the report said.
In this June, 17, 2016 file photo released by Walt Disney World Resort, a new sign is seen posted on a beach outside a hotel after a 2-year-old Nebraska boy was killed by an alligator at Disney World. (Walt Disney World Resort via AP, File)
Disney employees warned of alligator minutes before toddler killed: Report | Wor
'We miss you, buddy'; Hundreds remember boy killed by gator at Disney World on his 'first birthday in heaven'
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First posted: Monday, September 05, 2016 01:20 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, September 05, 2016 01:34 PM EDT
OMAHA, Neb. — The parents of the toddler who was killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World in Florida say they will always remember their sweet little boy.
Melissa and Matt Graves spoke to a group of several hundred people gathered at a high school football stadium Saturday to remember Lane Graves on what would have been his third birthday, The Omaha World-Herald reported.
Lane died June 14 after an alligator pulled him into a lagoon at Disney’s upscale Grand Floridian Resort. He was gathering sand for a sand castle when the alligator bit his head. The final report on his death said the boy died from a crushing bite and drowning and that his dad reached into the alligator’s mouth to try to save the boy.
After Lane’s death, Disney made changes to restrict visitor contact with alligators on the property. Fences and other barriers were built around some of the lakes, and “No Fishing” signs were installed around waterfront areas. Disney World also limited fishing to excursions.
Melissa Graves said the family wanted to celebrate Lane’s “first birthday in heaven.”
“You’ll always be Mommy’s loving, sweet, baby boy. ... We miss you, buddy, and we miss those hugs and kisses,” Melissa Graves said.
Matt Graves said Lane’s life brought joy to the family.
“My wife will tell you those are the happiest days of her life, and I couldn’t agree with her more,” he said. “Happy birthday, buddy.”
He also said he appreciated all the support the family received from the community after Lane’s death. The family also has a four-year-old daughter.
The crowd wore blue shirts and released blue balloons into the air.
Matt and Melissa Graves offered M&M cookies because they were Lane’s favourite treat and handed out small silver crosses with blue ribbons attached to a prayer card.
The Graves have said they don’t plan to file a lawsuit against Disney World.
In this Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, photo, banners with a collage of photos of Lane Graves and his family hang on display with blue balloons and ribbons for a Love for Lane Celebration on what would have been his third birthday at Elkhorn South High School in Omaha, Neb. (Rebecca S. Gratz/Omaha World-Herald via AP)
'We miss you, buddy'; Hundreds remember boy killed by gator at Disney World on h
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First posted: Monday, September 05, 2016 01:20 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, September 05, 2016 01:34 PM EDT
OMAHA, Neb. — The parents of the toddler who was killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World in Florida say they will always remember their sweet little boy.
Melissa and Matt Graves spoke to a group of several hundred people gathered at a high school football stadium Saturday to remember Lane Graves on what would have been his third birthday, The Omaha World-Herald reported.
Lane died June 14 after an alligator pulled him into a lagoon at Disney’s upscale Grand Floridian Resort. He was gathering sand for a sand castle when the alligator bit his head. The final report on his death said the boy died from a crushing bite and drowning and that his dad reached into the alligator’s mouth to try to save the boy.
After Lane’s death, Disney made changes to restrict visitor contact with alligators on the property. Fences and other barriers were built around some of the lakes, and “No Fishing” signs were installed around waterfront areas. Disney World also limited fishing to excursions.
Melissa Graves said the family wanted to celebrate Lane’s “first birthday in heaven.”
“You’ll always be Mommy’s loving, sweet, baby boy. ... We miss you, buddy, and we miss those hugs and kisses,” Melissa Graves said.
Matt Graves said Lane’s life brought joy to the family.
“My wife will tell you those are the happiest days of her life, and I couldn’t agree with her more,” he said. “Happy birthday, buddy.”
He also said he appreciated all the support the family received from the community after Lane’s death. The family also has a four-year-old daughter.
The crowd wore blue shirts and released blue balloons into the air.
Matt and Melissa Graves offered M&M cookies because they were Lane’s favourite treat and handed out small silver crosses with blue ribbons attached to a prayer card.
The Graves have said they don’t plan to file a lawsuit against Disney World.
In this Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, photo, banners with a collage of photos of Lane Graves and his family hang on display with blue balloons and ribbons for a Love for Lane Celebration on what would have been his third birthday at Elkhorn South High School in Omaha, Neb. (Rebecca S. Gratz/Omaha World-Herald via AP)
'We miss you, buddy'; Hundreds remember boy killed by gator at Disney World on h