A Florida woman lost her right arm and part of her left ring finger in a Saturday alligator attack while swimming with a group in the Silver River, Marion County. The victim has been identified as Dina Rae Spann, 58.
According to her son, Zach Guerrina, Spann attempted to keep the alligator's mouth shut while trying to surface for air. She also sustained an injury to her left hand during the struggle. Her right arm was amputated below the elbow following the incident.
John Gamache, who was on a nearby boat with his father, heard calls for help and saw an alligator heading towards the swimmers. Gamache's boat approached the group, and the activity appeared to scare the alligator away, releasing Spann.
Gamache found Spann holding onto a paddleboard and bleeding heavily from her arm. He used rope from his boat to create a makeshift tourniquet to control the bleeding. "It was a terrible injury, bones poking out, blood everywhere," Gamache stated. "Obviously, the minutes mattered."
Spann was taken to a hospital and, according to her family, was back home and in good spirits by Sunday, despite the severe injuries.
Following the attack, authorities temporarily closed the Silver River for a search. A contracted nuisance alligator trapper removed a 9-foot-8-inch alligator from the area on Sunday. The river was later reopened, and the temporary closure was lifted.
Gamache described the incident as unlike anything he had witnessed in the Silver Springs area before. Spann's family later contacted Gamache to express their gratitude for his assistance.