# Alligator drags away 2-year-old boy in Florida **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 15, 2016, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403 "2016-06-15T06:15:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/241 "2016-07-11T11:40:10Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > They could put those fliers in every hotel room on your pillow, so when you check in and enter your room, it is obvious. Make sure it has a prominent and enticing cover to ensure the guests read it. Something like “Mickey wants you to know…”\* > > Except that might interfere with the illusion they are trying to create for their guests. > > * * * > > - “Free porn” wouldn’t fit their image. Nobody reads that stuff. They’d throw it away. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/242 "2016-07-20T15:51:36Z")
The parents have announced they will not sue: > **[Parents of toddler killed by alligator at Disney will not sue](https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/parents-of-toddler-killed-by-alligator-at-disney-will-not-sue/)** > > The parents of Lane Graves, the 2-year-old killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World, will not be suing the company over their child’s death. It was widely assumed that Matt and Melissa Graves, Lane’s parents, would sue Disney due to the lack of... ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/243 "2016-07-20T16:01:31Z")
Lawyers across the nation are doing a facepalm right now.:smack: An interesting choice. I’m sure the family is aware that had they chose to file suit The check Disney would cut for their out of court settlement would be sufficient to end their days of ever needing to work again. At the same time no amount of money will bring their son back. Still, t’is better to be rich and miserable than poor and miserable. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/244 "2016-07-20T16:05:34Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Lawyers across the nation are doing a facepalm right now.:smack: > > An interesting choice. I’m sure the family is aware that had they chose to file suit The check Disney would cut for their out of court settlement would be sufficient to end their days of ever needing to work again. At the same time no amount of money will bring their son back. Still, t’is better to be rich and miserable than poor and miserable. Is there any reason to believe Disney hasn’t quietly written them a huge check? ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/245 "2016-07-20T16:12:27Z")
A definite possibility. If that family packs up and moves to Beverly Hills we’ll have our answer. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/246 "2016-07-20T16:18:47Z")
And they just happen to have lifetime free membership to Disneyland. No gaters in California! Well, not native anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/247 "2016-07-20T16:21:22Z")
It looks like they have established a foundation in the name of their son. My guess is an out of court settlement at least partly funds that. Most cases do not result in lawsuits (and most lawsuits do not go to trial). The reason: if liability is reasonably obvious it just makes sense to settle. Doubly so here from Disney’s perspective, where right or wrong the last thing Disney needs is (a) to seem litigious or vindictive; or (b) to keep the story alive over maybe years of litigation. The parents no doubt have no wish to be dragged through years of litigation either. So settlement makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/248 "2016-07-21T00:36:08Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > Nobody reads that stuff. They’d throw it away. It depends upon how you frame it. Say you put it with a pretty Mickey logo, and a large font header “A Personal Greeting From Mickey” with a big picture on it. What kid isn’t going to read that, or ask their parents to read it to them? What parent of a small child won’t say “Aw, cute, let’s see what Mickey says.” Then, the letter reads something like: "Welcome to the Walt Disney World parks recreation central complex of associated resorts [or whatever]. I am so happy to have you come visit me at DisneyWorld, and look forward to seeing you around the park. While you are here, I deeply hope you will have a very enjoyable experience. To those ends, let me take a moment to remind you of a few safety points: 1. While Disney World is a magical place of wonder, it happens to be located in central Florida, with natural and manmade waterways entertwined. The reality of Florida is the existance of native wildlife, such as ducks, fish, snakes, and alligators. Many of the wildlife are harmless, but some do pose some risk. Be aware that alligators can grow larger than 5 feet in length. While small alligators are essentially harmless, larger alligators can see small children as possible prey. Most of the time this is not an issue, but be careful around the edges of waterways, as alligators are prone to ambush attacks from the waterline onto shore. Especially avoid going near water at nighttime, when alligators are typically hunting. 2. \ These warnings are not meant to frighten you or detract from your enjoyment of the resort. Rather, they are to highlight issues for your awareness so that you can enjoy the park safely and without concern. Please enjoy your stay, and say hello when you see me! Your friend, Mickey Mouse" I will say when I visited Florida, I did receive safety warnings from some source regarding alligators, and how they can move 40 mph while humans can only run up to 20 mph. Do not get out of your cars and approach alligators, do not get close to the waterways (ditches). Etc. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/249 "2016-07-21T04:03:48Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > It looks like they have established a foundation in the name of their son. My guess is an out of court settlement at least partly funds that. > > Most cases do not result in lawsuits (and most lawsuits do not go to trial). The reason: if liability is reasonably obvious it just makes sense to settle. Doubly so here from Disney’s perspective, where right or wrong the last thing Disney needs is (a) to seem litigious or vindictive; or (b) to keep the story alive over maybe years of litigation. The parents no doubt have no wish to be dragged through years of litigation either. So settlement makes sense. Yes, the most likely scenario is that Disney wrote them a huge check and one of the conditions of accepting the money was that the family would make a public statement about how they would not sue Disney. I have no problem with that. I agree with you that it is really best for both parties. This family has endured an unimaginable horror and probably don’t want to keep rubbing salt in the wound through a court battle or further media attention. Disney’s image relies very much on the idea that everything is safe and under control at the parks, so they definitely want this story to go away and for people to start to forget about that time that there was a devastating tragedy at their park. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/250 "2016-07-21T12:01:27Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > Yes, the most likely scenario is that Disney wrote them a huge check By “huge check” do you mean a large amount of money? Because giving them a giant 4 foot x 2 foot check would be gauche. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/251 "2016-07-21T14:36:15Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > By “huge check” do you mean a large amount of money? Because giving them a giant 4 foot x 2 foot check would be gauche. “Gauche” would be that. “Horrifyingly wrong” would be demanding a happy Mickey Mouse photo-op event to hand the check over. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/252 "2016-07-21T14:55:18Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > “Gauche” would be that. “Horrifyingly wrong” would be demanding a happy Mickey Mouse photo-op event to hand the check over. :eek: Mickey removing his head and showing that he’s Ed McMahon would be the pièce de résistance!! (Ed’s death was faked) ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/253 "2016-07-21T15:23:36Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > “Gauche” would be that. “Horrifyingly wrong” would be demanding a happy Mickey Mouse photo-op event to hand the check over. :eek: Or Captain Hook, with you-know-who making a surprise appearance. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/254 "2016-07-27T01:16:40Z")
Somewhat related, so I’ll put it here: [World’s most terrifying tourist attraction shut down as tourists seen feeding crocodiles](http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/worlds-most-terrifying-tourist-attraction-8439112) Yikes! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/255 "2016-07-27T02:08:25Z")
Good Lord! That looks like the start of a bad SyFy movie. _“Mutant Croc vs. Mega Pig”_ maybe? \* An evil pharmaceutical research firm disposes of animal carcasses infused with a growth hormone. Said meat is purchased by the tour boat operator, resulting in really big crocs. Then a live animal escapes from the lab, and tries to take revenge on both the crocs and the humans who have butchered it’s young.\* What? That plot isn’t worse than some of the actual films that have been made! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403.md?page=12)