‘Bones poking out, blood everywhere’: 10-foot alligator attacks Florida paddleboarder and tears off her arm; quick-thinking boater rushes to save her
A Florida woman survived a terrifying alligator attack after a nearly 10-foot reptile grabbed her arm and pulled her underwater while she was paddleboarding in the Silver River. A quick-thinking boater rushed to help after hearing screams and managed to scare the alligator away before using a rope to control her severe bleeding.
Alligator pulls woman underwater in Florida river
The woman was paddleboarding with her family in the Silver River in north-central Florida when the alligator suddenly attacked.According to FOX35, the reptile grabbed her arm and dragged her underwater. She reportedly tried to fight it off with her paddle, but the alligator continued its attack.John Gamache, who was eating lunch on his boat nearby, heard the victim’s family shouting for help and immediately headed towards them.“I looked just upriver from us a couple hundred feet and saw an alligator head way above the water and going full speed towards the swimmers,” Gamache told FOX35.
Boater scares alligator away and stops bleeding
Gamache said the sound and movement of his boat caused the alligator to retreat. However, the woman had suffered a devastating arm injury and was losing blood rapidly.“It was a terrible injury, bones poking out, blood everywhere. Obviously, the minutes mattered,” he said.Gamache used a rope from his boat to tie off the woman’s wound and help control the bleeding while his father focused on getting the other swimmers and children safely out of the water.First responders subsequently took the injured woman to a nearby hospital for treatment.Her family confirmed on Sunday that she had been discharged and was recovering at home. They also expressed their gratitude to Gamache for intervening so quickly.“They called earlier, and we talked for a while, and it was heartwarming to hear them explain their emotions,” Gamache said.“We’re glad that it happened as good as it could have. Like the result is just the sustained injury and nothing more,” he added.
Silver River temporarily closed after alligator attack
Following the attack, officials temporarily closed the Silver River while a trapper worked to remove the alligator from the water.Marion County officials said the reptile measured approximately 9 feet 8 inches. The river was reopened to the public on Sunday after the alligator was removed.Gamache, who has been visiting Silver Springs throughout his life, said he had never witnessed an alligator attack in the area before.
Recent alligator attacks in Florida
The latest incident comes amid a series of serious alligator attacks in Florida and surrounding areas.Just weeks earlier, 31-year-old Brittany Clark was killed by a 12-foot alligator while she was paddling in the shallows of the Econlockhatchee River at Little Big Econ State Forest on June 28.Clark’s boyfriend made a desperate 911 call after the attack, pleading with emergency responders to reach the scene.Another serious incident occurred in Marion County on June 27, when 11-year-old Brodie Terry, from Pennsylvania, lost his hand after an approximately 8-foot-7-inch alligator bit him while he was fishing with his father.Terry was reportedly preparing to release a fish back into the water when the alligator clamped onto his hand.
