The parents of a toddler who was gouged by a giant sea otter that leapt over an enclosure wall of Dallas World Aquarium are suing for $1miilion.
Stacey Williams of Texas, mother of 18-month-old Nathan Williams, is seeking a jury trial after the horrific attack which left permanent scarring and caused a bacterial infection that took three months to heal.
The family’s lawyer insists the aquarium ‘knew these animals could get out’ after previous visitors wrote reviews mentioning the animals escaping.
‘The Dallas World Aquarium knew that these animals, with these crazy claws, with aggressive tendencies, could get up and reach visitors … and they did nothing about it,’ Heather Davis told NBC5 on Wednesday.
Nathan’s father Ryan, who stands at six-foot-three, was holding the toddler beside the exhibit, as Stacey knelt down with her elder son beside the five-and-a-half foot plexiglass wall to watch the otters swim under the water on May 2, the lawsuit said.
A giant river otter leapt up from the water onto the plexiglass barrier and swiped its claws into the flesh of her son’s arm.
Ryan Williams was holding his 18-month-old son Nathan (pictured) beside the Giant Sea Otter exhibit, as Stacey Williams knelt down with her elder son beside the plexiglass. A giant river otter leapt up from the water onto the plexiglass barrier and swiped its claws into the flesh of the toddler’s arm
Stacey Williams of Texas (pictured above), mother of 18-month-old Nathan Williams (pictured below), is seeking a jury trial after the horrific attack which left permanent scarring and caused a bacterial infection that took three months to heal
Her husband, who stands at six-foot-three, was holding the toddler beside the exhibit, as she knelt down with her elder son beside the five-and-a-half foot plexiglass wall (pictured) to watch the otters swim under the water
A giant river otter leapt up from the water onto the plexiglass barrier and swiped its claws into the flesh of 18-month-old Nathan Williams’ arm
Giant Sea Otters, the river otter’s larger cousin, can grow up to six feet long and weigh 75 pounds. The lawsuit notes that, in Spanish, the animals are known as ‘River Wolves,’ or ‘El Lobo de Rio.’ ‘Its webbed feet are tipping with sharp claws-claws Plaintiff knows are sharp enough to rip through human skin like paper,’ reads the complaint
‘Ms. Williams’ next memory is of Mr. Williams handing her a bloody, screaming Nathan,’ reads the lawsuit filed on Monday.
‘Nathan began crying and bleeding profusely. Ryan Williams, Nathan’s father, handed him to Ms. Williams, who immediately squeezed her hand around Nathan’s wound as a make-shift tourniquet,’ the lawsuit said.
The three deep gouges left by the animal took more than a dozen stitches to close, the lawsuit alleges.
After he was sent home from the hospital, Nathan developed a fever, and was subsequently diagnosed with an infection from Pasteurella bacteria, which is found in otters. He did not recover for three months, his family said, and is left with permanent scarring.
The toddler did not recover for three months, his family said, and is left with permanent scarring
The three deep gouges left by the animal took more than a dozen stitches to close, the lawsuit alleges
They Williams family they saw no signs cautioning visitors, and there was no information about the potential danger at the otter enclosure on the aquarium’s website
Although otters are known for their playful, social behavior, they have a track record of being aggressive – just last month in Anchorage Alaska, a nine-year-old boy and an adult woman were bitten on separate occasions by unprovoked river otters.
Giant Sea Otters, the river otter’s larger cousin, can grow up to six feet long and weigh 75 pounds. The lawsuit notes that, in Spanish, the animals are known as ‘River Wolves,’ or ‘El Lobo de Rio.’
‘Its webbed feet are tipping with sharp claws-claws Plaintiff knows are sharp enough to rip through human skin like paper,’ reads the complaint.
The family said in the suit that the aquarium didn’t do enough to warn visitors that otters ‘can be aggressive’ or that they should stand back from the exhibit.
They said they saw no signs cautioning visitors, and there was no information about the potential danger at the otter enclosure on the aquarium’s website.
The family’s lawsuit included photos of social media posts from 2007 and 2013 where posters mentioned the otters escaping their enclosure or climbing on the plexiglass barrier within visitors’ reach.
The family’s lawsuit included photos of social media posts from 2007 and 2013 (pictured) where posters mentioned the otters escaping their enclosure or climbing on the plexiglass barrier within visitors’ reach
‘What’s disturbing is that the Dallas World Aquarium knew that these animals could get out. Because it had happened at least twice before,’ Heather Davis, an attorney who is representing the family, told NBC 5 on Wednesday
The aquarium knew full-well that the animals could get out of the enclosure and didn’t increase the height of the plexiglass wall, Davis said to NBC5.
‘Now here we are in 2021 where nothing has been changed and a baby has been injured and will have permanent scarring for the rest of his life,’ she said.
Before 2007, the exhibit housed jaguars and had a fully-enclosed acrylic barrier – if the aquarium hadn’t removed it, the lawsuit said, the accident could have been avoided entirely.
‘The DWA, although aware of the attack on Nathan Williams, has still failed to fully close the exhibit.’
The Dallas World Aquarium did not return Dailymail.com’s request for comment on Thursday.