Last month, a 2-year-old boy named Lane Graves was killed by an alligator while staying at a Disney World resort with his family.
As the details of the tragedy emerged, it began to look as though the park was at fault for failure to post signs warning guests that gators and other dangerous wildlife may be present in the shallow waters surrounding the resort.
The case seemed to have the makings of a lawsuit that would not only result in a massive judgment for the Graves family, but also send a message about the importance of proper safety measures to theme parks around the country.
Shockingly, however, TMZ is now reporting that the Graves family has decided not to sue the Disney corporation.
According to the site, Matt and Melissa Graves issued a statement moments ago in which they shared a personal message about their worsening grief, but also revealed that they will not be seeking damages from Disney.
In the statement, the Graves stated that they’re struggling to “comprehend why this happened” and feel that “the pain gets worse” with each passing day.
However, they say that they see nothing to be gained by enduring a lengthy legal process.
In lieu of a lawsuit, the Graves announced that they will found the Lane Thomas Foundation in order to “keep his spirit alive.”
The family didn’t go into specifics regarding the purpose of the foundation.
They also didn’t reveal how it would be funded, but it’s widely assumed that Disney will be footing the bill.
The Graves family has spoken out about the tragedy in the past, and while their anger and grief is clear, they never explicitly blamed Disney.
Perhaps they believe that the death of their son was simply a senseless tragedy and they prefer any action taken in his name to be entirely positive.
Our thoughts go out to the Graves during this difficult time.