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It seemed like a normal day at Disney, which is supposedly the happiest place on Earth. Kids were laughing, smiling, doing what kids know how to do best. Everything seemed so picture perfect. It was Disney after all, the happiest place on Earth.
Lane Graves, a 2 year-old, was being a normal child. He was splashing and giggling in a lagoon, enjoying the warm, Floridan sun in the midst of the afternoon. He family, a mom, a dad, and his older 4 year-old sister, were all nearby at a Disney beach resort, also enjoying the sun. They were content, happy. They did not have a worry in the world. They were not prepared for what was about to occur.
An alligator jumped up from it's watery location, clamping it's strong jaws around the boy in a vice grip, causing the boy to cry out in agony. His dad, Matt Graves, rushed to his son's aid and tried to free the boy from the gator's powerful jaws, to no avail. The alligator dragged the boy under in 16 feet of murky water.
After 16 hours of extensive search efforts on Wednesday afternoon, divers found the body six feet in the water where he had originally went under, and was only 10 or 15 feet away from where he was sitting the day before. The body was placed on a boat and taken for an autopsy.
The body was still intact, but the body was lifeless. Shortly after the discovery was made, a Catholic priest broke the tough news to the parents, who were in distraught.
The lagoon where Lane was playing was private property, and a sheriff had commented that there was a sign that said that swimming was not allowed there. The boy's father also commented that he tried to call a lifeguard on the scene, but he too could not save the 2 year-old. The mother was also there, frantic as she looked up and down for any signs.
Deepest condolences to the Graves family. Thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/nXaRrgjLhl
— OCSO FL News (@OrangeCoSheriff) June 16, 2016
After the incident, five more alligators were taken from the lagoon. They were "euthanized" in order to determine if any of them were the alligator that took the boy under. Gators are common at the Disney resort, and other bodies of water in Florida. They could be found in lakes, streams, ponds, and marshes.
The sheriff at Disney had stated that there were no other instances of this happening in the 45 years that the location was operating, and no "nuisance" alligators were in the area recently before the attack.
Since the incident, Disney's vice president, Jaquee Wahler, has released an official statement following the attack:
“Everyone here at the Walt Disney World Resort is devastated by this tragic accident. Our thoughts are with the family. We are helping the family and doing everything we can to assist law enforcement.”
The resort has since been closed following the attack, and wildlife managers have been called to the area in order to keep an eye out on alligators and other forms of wildlife that seem to be dangerous. Alligator attacks are not common, but they can be dangerous, as they can move swiftly across the water and on land. They can run at speeds of 30 mph.
All I have to say about this is... my deepest, sincerest thoughts are with the family of this little boy who was just doing what little boys do. All he was doing was playing. He had no idea that his life would end so tragically, and to be honest, he never got to experience life at all. He was only 2 years-old, practically a baby. He never got to see what life was all about. He probably never got to ride a bike, explore, travel, go to school, graduate, and have a family of his own, all because of human error.
I couldn't imagine the thoughts that were going through their heads. How scary must it be to lose a child, and especially in the most unexpected way possible. How sad must it be, knowing that you were powerless against this strong animal, that could snap your arm like a twig in it's grasp, and can pull you underwater so effortlessly. How scary, how sad that must be. How surprising. You think that you're going to have a normal, fun day at Disney, and it all goes south because of one little event that impacts your life in the most in-your-face way possible. I can't even imagine...
You can't blame the alligator... The alligator was only doing what alligators do. It probably didn't know that it was hurting the boy. Perhaps it didn't want to. It obviously did not want to eat him, or his body would have been dismembered and in the gator's stomach. This had to be a simple matter of human error. But, nobody knew this was going to happen.
People are speculating also that it could have been the parent's fault, because there was a "NO SWIMMING" sign that was hanging up by the lagoon. All I have to say about this is perhaps they didn't see it... People make mistakes. People aren't perfect. Maybe the family did not notice the sign. Just because they didn't notice the sign does not make them horrible parents. That does not equate to this family deserving this tragedy. Nobody deserves this. Disney should be more attentive next time, warning people about the alligators that reside in the lagoon so that something like this doesn't happen again. Maybe have people on guard when people go there, so that they can monitor their visitor's safety. History should not repeat itself.
All that baffles me is a THIRD time, a tragedy has occurred in Florida. First Christina Grimmie, then the mass shooting, and now this. You know what they say about Florida, crazy stuff goes down there, but another tragedy has occurred in the span of a day or so. What is going on? Could it be a sign? Is the world trying to foreshadow to us that something huge will happen? Only time will tell, until then, I hope that the Floridians stay strong, and hope that tragedies to come are not as heartbreaking, or just hope that something like this won't happen again.
Rest in Peace, Lane Graves.
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