A paddleboarder in Florida survives after a nearly 10-foot alligator grabs her arm and she is left with a severe, life-altering injury, according to reports. The attack includes descriptions of exposed bones and heavy bleeding.
The incident takes place in the Silver River. Multiple accounts say the alligator rips off the woman’s arm and pulls her underwater during the attack. Afterward, a quick-acting boater helps before emergency responders arrive. One outlet identifies the boater as John Gamache, who scares the alligator away and then helps control the woman’s bleeding using a rope, while she is ultimately taken to hospital for treatment.
While the outlets differ mainly in wording and the level of detail, both describe the same core events: an alligator attack on a paddleboarder, a major traumatic arm injury, and a bystander’s immediate intervention that helps bridge the gap until rescuers reach the scene.
