The father of Lane Graves, a 2-year-old toddler killed by an alligator at Orlando’s Disney Resort last month, told rescue officials that two alligators were involved in the attack, ABC News reports.
In new emails from the Reedy Creek Fire Department, Matt Graves said he was attacked by a second alligator as he tried to reach his 2-year-old son after the boy was pulled into the water outside Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.
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Capt. Tom Wellons described his interaction with Graves in emails to his supervisors, The Orlando Sentinel reports. Wellons said Graves refused to leave the area at first as rescuers searched for his son — despite the fact that the father needed stitches and antibiotics from gator bite marks.
Wellons said he managed to persuade Graves to get medical treatment for his wounds, promising him he could return afterward.
“This incredibly sweet couple insisted on showing us pictures of their happy son. (The) mom kept referring to him as her ‘happy boy,’ ” Wellons wrote in the emails.
On the way to the hospital, Graves shared his terrifying experience of how his son was pulled into the water and “how another gator attacked him as he fought for his son,” the emails detailed.
The exchanges were forwarded to Orange County officials to warn them of a second gator. Officials have said they’re “confident” they caught the alligator that kileld the toddler.
Signs posted in the area advised against swimming, but didn’t warn of the dangerous animals. In the days following the attack, Walt Disney erected fences and posted signs warning of alligators in the area.
Story compiled by Olivia Rowe of Womanista.
