On Wednesday, July 20, the parents of 2-year-old Lane Graves who was attacked by allegedly two alligators and later found dead in Disney World's man-made lagoon released a statement that they will not file a lawsuit against Disney after this tragic loss. What many people and especially parents are thinking now is: Was it the right decision? If you were in that situation, what would you do? It is clear that the Graves family will be grieving over the death of their beloved child for many years to come, but there were many aspects of the situation that needed to be assessed before decided if a lawsuit was necessary.
Disney as a corporation is committed to customer satisfaction and when improvement is unavoidable, they will most definitely do what is needed to better the happiness and safety of their guests. Although they are a well-advanced company incorporating technology in every place they can think of, the catastrophe of the death of Lane Graves shows that Disney may have missed some of the basics in terms of safety precautions. Once any person steps onto the magical soil of any Disney theme park or resort, their minds are somewhat distorted from reality. Since Disney prides itself on a place where "dreams come true," each guest, even a parent, may believe that this is a place without danger. Disney's Grand Floridian Resort is a very well-known destination for families visiting Disney World to stay at. Bordering The Grand Floridian is a large man-made lagoon, how fascinating to children who can't seem to stay away from a large, sparkling body of water. Does it seem safe, though, a parent would think? The only signage near the lagoon simply says no swimming and how could there be any dangerous creatures lurking in the water in Disney World? It couldn't be possible. This may have been the thought process of the parents of Lane Graves allowing him to simply play knee-high in that lagoon. Fast forward 15 or so minutes, and this is the beginning of a parent's worst nightmare. Not having any warning signs for possible alligators was the first basic mistake.
The second mistake Disney had opposed to their side was that the Graves family did not receive any assistance during the attack from an employee, meaning there was minimal security in the vicinity. With the immense traffic of guests wandering around the grounds of The Grand Floridian and any other resort associated with Disney World, simply having staff patrolling the areas and available for assistance in any situation, in the event of something like an alligator attack, may make a huge impact on the outcome.
With the amateur mistakes made by the Disney corporation in this situation, the Graves family would undoubtedly be the team in favor if a lawsuit was filed. The parents of Lane Graves meant no harm in allowing their son to play in the shallows of the lagoon, because how could there be any possibility of him to be put in a dangerous situation? Yes, it is Florida, and there are alligators in Florida. But with the minimal warnings and assistance present, the Graves family most definitely could have sued Disney for their faults, however, they are choosing to let the accusations free and focus on the health of the family after their sudden and horrifying loss. Overall, Disney dodged a massive bullet in this situation. Hopefully the staff of Disney World and all of the Disney theme parks learned from their mistakes and acted accordingly so that no catastrophe like this will ever happen again on Disney soil.
