Now, San Diego attorney David Hiden is speaking out about an incident that occurred during his family vacation last year, and the resort’s poor response when he alerted staff.
“He was playing, and looking for bugs and stuff. Then, all of a sudden, I looked past his head and I see this alligator, maybe 6 or 7 feet, bee-lining it straight for him,” Hiden told CBS News.
“And at this point, I looked to the left and there’s another alligator about the same size, but closer.”
He claims that the gators were between 10-15 feet from his son when he grabbed the boy and brought him to safety.
“Had I been texting or taking photographs or not paying attention, the one on the left would probably have gotten my son,” said Hiden.
Perhaps the most shocking part of his story, however, was how the staff responded when he notified them of the experience.
“The manager couldn’t care less. I remember her words, ‘These are resident pets. They’ve known about them for years, they’re not dangerous, they’re not going to harm anybody,'” said Hiden. “I was very upset, very angry, very shocked and I say, ‘I hope to God I never read about a young kid killed by an alligator like that one almost did to my son.'”
Disney is now in the process of adding alligator warnings to their property, and has closed all of the beaches at their resorts while they review their safety measures.
