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A 27-year-old woman in Florida is fortunate to be alive after falling victim to an alligator attack on the St. Lucie River in Martin County north of Palm Beach.
The incident occurred earlier this week while the woman was reportedly standing in waist-deep water. An estimated 11-foot alligator, which is a very large specimen, bit onto her wrist and hand and pulled her underwater.
Once underwater the 11-foot Florida alligator released her and she was able to make it back to the riverbank where he boyfriend then drove her to the Charlie Leighton Park boat ramp.
From there she was airlifted to a nearby hospital to have her wounds treated. The Aeromonas hydrophila bacteria is commonly found in alligator teeth and can cause infections after alligator attacks. So victims are often treated and monitored after an incident, according to this study published in the National Library of Medicine.
Gator Wrangler Says Alligator Attack Victim Was ‘Very Lucky’
Following the alligator attack in Martin County, Florida, a reporter from WPTV News reached out to Stone Lequerique. He is an alligator wrangler and a bit of a celebrity in that field.
Stone has been an alligator wrangler for over 12 years and told the news outlet this alligator attack victim was “very lucky” to have survived the attack after being pulled underwater. Lequerique went on to say “if that alligator wanted to grab her and take her under, he would’ve.”
The attack, according to Stone Lequerique, was a “textbook scenario.” He went on to explain why, in his expert opinion, it occurred.
‘In the water the gator can only see her head and shoulders’
Trying to posit why this alligator attack may have occurred, the gator wrangler set the scenario. He says in the water the alligator would have only seen her head and shoulders above the waterline as she was standing in waist-deep water.
From that vantage point, the alligator most likely mistook the 27-year-old victim for a “raccoon, possum, or a small fox.” Lequerique believes that alligator lunged, believing it was in for an easy meal, and released her upon realizing it was not small game and actually a much larger creature.
Stone Lequerique spoke with the Martin County alligator who was called in following the attack. The size of the alligator was determined to be 11 feet based on the bite marks found on the woman’s wrist and hand.
She is fortunate to have survived. As a born-and-raised Floridian, I cannot stress the importance of exercising caution around freshwater.
Content shared from brobible.com.