No, the parents were negligent. No responsible parent would let a kid enter water clearly marked with no-swimming signs.
Kids are SO fast & so little that they can get away from
you easier than you think. Years ago, when my son was 4
yrs. old (46 yrs. ago); we went to the Memphis zoo. We were
at the hippotamus pool & my son easily ran under the metal
bar surrounding the pool. The hippos were congregated right
at the pool’s edge. Thankfully, my son didn’t slip & fall
into the pool; which he very well could have done. I hope
that zoo has fixed that negligent situation by this time.
To a kid, ripping & running is FUN; but it can be deadly.
As I understand it, there were no signs warning about alligators so the parents could not be negligent. I think Disney was negligent in not putting up signs.
The child was not swimming. He was holding his fathers hand in 6 to 12 inches of water. It was a beach for heavens sake, so why create an illusion of a safe sandy beach if it can’t even be waded in at waters edge? I get the no swimming signs and if they don’t want to scare the kids with alligator signs, how about......”don’t go near the water” which is ridiculous.
Don’t forget - there are not swamps, alligators, ocean, etc. in Nebraska. People come to new situations without the understanding of possible dangers. Here in Los Angeles, we have the beach and high mountains too. Folks are always being rescued from both, because they are both dangerous without care.
I think they should not have been swimming in the dark (!), in posted no-swimming area, and also that Disney should fence it off there, but I think one of the variables is out-of-towners. Terrible. Lord, let this draw the family closer to each other and closer to you.