Category: News & Opinion
Tags: gator attack, Lane Graves, Disney gator
Teaser: Matt Graves said a second alligator attacked him as he tried to reach his 2-year-old son.
Article: One month after the deadly gator attack that took the life of toddler Lane Graves, we now learn that two alligators were actually involved. Matt Graves, the toddler’s father, fought a second gator while trying to rescue his son.
Second gator on the loose
As 2-year-old Lane Graves was being pulled into the lagoon at the Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World, his father was attacked by a second gator as he tried to free his son on June 16. Matt Graves refused to leave the spot where Lane disappeared, according …show more content…
In total, five alligators were caught and killed in the 16-hour search for little Lane. His body was later discovered intact only 15 yards from the shore, six feet underwater.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office detailed in the email that the family was relaxing by the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon at the resort, while Lane splashed along the shoreline. While there were signs posted in the area advising against swimming, no signs warned of gators.
Stop shaming Lane’s parents
This was a horrific accident that could have happened to any family. A Massachusetts mother of three recently shared photos of her son playing in the same spot that Lane Graves was killed. Jennifer Venditti Roye was vacationing at Disney World with her son Channing at the same time that Lane was killed by the alligator. The mom has posted her pictures with People in an attempt to stop the criticism of Lane’s parents online. To date, her Facebook message has been shared over 150,000 times.
There is an estimated 1.3 million wild alligators, or about one for every 15 residents, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. But they are confident that they have caught the alligator the killed Lane Graves.
-Katherine