An 84-year-old Florida woman was hospitalized on September 5 when she was walking her dog in the North Fort Meyers area when an alligator attacked her. The woman was able to escape, although she suffered “significant” injuries. Her dog was not injured.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and EMS responded to the scene. The woman was transported to the hospital.
Bradley Johnson, the spokesperson for the FWC, stated it had been a 7-foot, 3 inch alligator that bit the woman on her right leg. As she fought the gator away, she also sustained injuries to her wrist and her arms. The victim, Del Boppel, had been walking her Shih Tzu after sunset when the gator attacked. According to CNN, Boppel said she saw the eyes of the gator following her and just knew something was about to happen. She threw her dog away to safety as the alligator lunged towards her.
And how about this reaction? Boppel told WBBH News:
All of a sudden i had a premonition, i’m telling you. It was like ‘uh oh’ It was like a torpedo. I didn’t see anything go that fast in my life
A neighbor who heard the woman screaming called 911 and found the woman lying on the ground with her dog. She told the witness the alligator had tried to snatch her dog, and as she pulled the dog to safety, the gator grabbed her leg, arm and wrist.
By Saturday, Boppel was looking forward to leaving the hospital and being reunited with her dog.
The gator was later found and euthanized due to public safety.
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