The lighthouse sculpture to honor Lane Thomas and the foundation set up in his name was recently unveiled at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Photo credit Disboards.com
The sculpture rests along the shorelines where the incident took place a little over a year ago.
A few weeks ago, Disney announced that they would be erecting a lighthouse sculpture at Walt Disney World to honor the memory of Lane Thomas, the little boy who lost his life to an alligator last summer in the Seven Seas Lagoon. It appears that construction of the memorial icon has begun and it will be located near where the incident occurred at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
Construction walls have been erected on the left side of the beach, near the steps that lead down to the sand.
A look over the walls (which isn’t hard because the elevated concrete walkway is about the same height) reveals that the foundation is already in place. Since the sculpture is most likely a prefabricated piece created offsite, it will likely be in place very soon.
Disney did not list a completion date for the project, but simply stated that it would be erected this summer.
Wednesday, June 14 marks the one-year anniversary of the date when an alligator living in the Seven Seas Lagoon attacked two-year-old Lane Thomas Graves at the water’s edge at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
The family has since founded the Lane Thomas Foundation to honor Lane and to support families the way others have supported them. The foundation’s mission is “to serve as a beacon of hope in the depths of despair, to create a strong base of support for families in crisis.”
Disney has released a statement from George A. Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort: “To provide continued awareness of the foundation and its mission, we’ve commissioned an original sculpture of the lighthouse the foundation uses as a symbol of love and hope, to be installed on our property this summer.”
It is not known exactly when or where the sculpture will be installed.
Since the incident, Disney has added warning signs along many of the lakes and canals across property. A rock wall was constructed along the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon to discourage guests from entering the water. The Graves family did not sue Walt Disney World or the Walt Disney Company over the incident.
FWC and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office have released their final reports regarding the death of Lane Graves on June 14, 2016.
Nick Wiley, FWC Director said, “We continue to pray for the Graves family. FWC would like to thank Disney and our partners at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for the professional collaboration on this thorough investigation. Our agency will continue to work to keep families informed on how they can safely enjoy all that Florida has to offer.”
Here is the official synopsis of the report:
On June 14, 2016, at approximately 2100 hours, children were playing near the water’s edge at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. A witness, Matt Graves, heard a splash and saw an alligator bite his son’s head and pull him into the water. Mr. Graves was close enough to grab the alligator, putting his hands into the animal’s mouth. The alligator began to struggle and broke free from Mr. Graves, injuring his hands. The alligator disappeared into the water with the child. Multiple individuals called 911 for assistance. Fire Rescue personnel and law enforcement officers from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Orange County Sheriff’s Office began a search of the area by land, air and water. The body of the missing child was located underwater by a patrol officer involved in the search and recovered by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office dive team in the Seven Seas Lagoon on the afternoon of June 15, 2016, submerged in approximately seven feet of water near where the initial attack had taken place. Six alligators were subsequently captured from the vicinity, euthanized, and had necropsies performed. Examination of the bite pattern on the victim’s body and an autopsy confirmed that the cause of death was injuries sustained from a severe alligator bite.
