Parents of boy, 2, who drowned after being dragged into Disney World lagoon by an alligator break their silence
Devastated family describe their 'grief and shock' after Lane Graves died while paddling in shallow waters
THE parents of the two-year-old boy who was dragged to his death by an alligator in Disney World have spoken of their devastation over the tragic incident.
Matt and Melissa Graves are still in shock after a gator pulled their son Lane into the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Grand Floridian Resort.
The family, who were on holiday from Nebraska with Lane and his sister, released a statement telling of their grief.
They said: “Words cannot describe the shock and grief our family is experiencing over the loss of our son. We are devastated and ask for privacy during this extremely difficult time.”
Lawyer Matt Morgan told the Times that the Graves family could receive a pay-out of millions from Disney.
It was set up by Matthew Wilhite, a pram salesman in Orlando.
He revealed on the crowd funding site that he had sold a pram to the Graves family just before the tragic incident.
He said: “When the family's name was announced we knew immediately that they were our guests.
“With two small children of our own, and the ability to cast a wide net of support from our past guests and Facebook fans, we knew this was the right thing to do for a family whose world has just been turned upside down.”
Jarrod Parde, a representative of the Graves family wrote on the page to express their thanks.
He said: “First off, thank you to every single one of you who have donated and have left amazing comments of love, kindness, and prayer during this horrific tragedy.
“As you can understand, Matt & Melissa are going through an extremely difficult time battling the loss of their precious son, Lane.
“They want to express nothing but love to all for the support they're receiving from complete strangers.
“Absolutely 100% of the money donated will be received as Matt & Melissa the designated beneficiaries.
“Please continue to pray for the Graves during this time. Thank you and love to you all.”
Lane’s body was recovered from the lagoon on Wednesday and an autopsy was completed on Thursday afternoon.
The Medical Examiner found that “the cause of death was ruled as a result of drowning and traumatic injuries.”
Yesterday, Disney co chief Bob Iger revealed that he had been in contact with the Graves family over the telephone.
Following the incident, all beaches at the Florida result were shut down.
Six alligators have been pulled from the lagoon in order to try and catch the animal who dragged Lane into the water.
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