James McMicken, 71, narrowly escaped a potentially fatal alligator attack on July 3 when the reptile ambushed him while he was fishing near his North Fort Myers, Florida, home. The alligator lunged from a canal behind his house, seizing McMicken's right leg and pulling him into the water.
Drawing on his experience with the animals, McMicken reacted quickly. He managed to stick his thumb into one of the alligator's eyes and then used his fishing rod to repeatedly strike the creature's face. This defense caused the alligator to release its grip.
"I’ve always heard that if you’ve got no other choice, get them eyes, and that’s what got him off of me," McMicken told KGNS News. He added, "No gator is going to run me off."
After the encounter, McMicken, bleeding from deep bite wounds, used his bulldog for leverage to stand and hobble back to his home. His wife provided initial wound care before he was transported to a local hospital, where he received stitches and staples.
McMicken, who is now recovering and preparing for physical therapy, stated that the close call will not deter him from fishing, though he will remain more vigilant.
This incident follows two other recent alligator attacks in Florida. On June 27, Brittany Clark, 31, was fatally attacked by a 12-foot alligator while swimming in the Econlockhatchee River. On the same day, a young boy from Pennsylvania lost a hand during an alligator attack while on a family fishing trip in Marion County.