The father of a 31-year-old woman fatally attacked by an alligator in Florida has described receiving a frantic phone call from his daughter's best friend as she lay dying. Brittany Clark was hiking with her boyfriend, Chance Ellison, and her friend, Jayden Hernandez, in the Little Big Econ State Forest on Sunday when a 12-foot alligator ambushed the group in shallow river water.
Robert Clark, 57, said he received the call from Hernandez at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. "She was having a hard time telling us what was going on," Clark told the Daily Mail, his voice cracking. He expressed that he never had the opportunity to say goodbye to his daughter due to the severity of her injuries.
Hernandez's account, shared on Facebook and detailed in the 911 audio, indicated that Brittany had noticed "air bubbles" in the water moments before the attack. "There were air bubbles in the water and I commented on how it might be a sneaky gator," Hernandez wrote. "It was just a joke…. And just a few minutes later my best friend got attacked." She described the scene as something she would never forget.
During the attack, the alligator performed a "death roll," a technique used to subdue prey by twisting violently, dragging Brittany underwater and tearing off both of her arms. Ellison heroically intervened, fighting the alligator to free Clark. Once the animal retreated, Ellison and Hernandez dragged Clark from the water. Hernandez then used Clark's phone to call her father.
In the harrowing 911 call, Ellison could be heard struggling to pull Brittany's arms away from the alligator's mouth while Hernandez urged for immediate help. Ellison reported that both of Brittany's arms were gone, and one was "hanging by a thread." Hernandez described the injuries as "horrible."
Paramedics were dispatched, and a helicopter was en route, but Brittany died from her injuries. The trail where the attack occurred was subsequently closed. The alligator involved in the incident has been euthanized and decapitated, with its head kept as evidence.
Clark expressed regret that there were no warning signs at the Barr Street Trailhead, a popular hiking area located about 20 miles outside of Orlando. He blames Florida officials for failing to adequately warn hikers of the potential dangers in the Econlockhatchee River.
Ellison, who had been dating Clark for about a year, expressed his disbelief and grief in a Facebook post. "We had so many things planned out and memories to be made," he wrote. "You were such a special person and did not deserve to go out in such a way. I love you."
Brittany Clark was remembered by her father as a "caring" and "nature loving" individual who was also outgoing and enjoyed riding motorcycles and hiking. She was also described as "fun-loving" in a fundraiser launched by her family to help cover the costs of transporting her remains to California, where her parents reside. She leaves behind her parents, Robert and Lynn, and her siblings, Nathan and Tiffany.