A Florida woman lost her right arm after being attacked by an alligator while swimming with her family in the Silver River on Saturday. The unidentified woman was in the water when a nearly 10-foot alligator attacked, dragging her beneath the surface.
She attempted to fight off the reptile with a paddle, but the alligator bit her arm. A bystander, John Gamache, heard the commotion and quickly responded. Gamache, who was on a nearby boat with his father, saw the alligator approaching the swimmers. He sped his boat towards them, and the sound of the approaching vessel caused the alligator to release its grip and flee.
When Gamache reached the woman, she was clinging to a paddleboard. He observed severe injuries, with "bones poking out, blood everywhere." Gamache immediately applied a rope as a makeshift tourniquet to control the bleeding. He and his father then helped the remaining swimmers onto their boat and transported them to shore, where emergency responders were waiting.
The injured woman was taken to the hospital and, according to her family, has since been discharged and is recovering at home. Her family confirmed that her arm had to be amputated as a result of the attack.
An alligator trapper was dispatched to the scene and successfully located the animal later that day. Following the incident, Marion County officials temporarily closed the Silver River to the public while the trapper worked to capture the alligator. The river was reopened on Sunday.
Gamache stated that the victim's family expressed deep gratitude for his quick actions. "We're glad that it happened as good as it could have. Like the result is just the sustained injury and nothing more," he told reporters.
