Florida Gator Killed with Teen's Limb Still Inside

An 11-foot alligator was killed Monday after taking a teenager's arm

A Florida teenager has lost his right arm below the elbow to an attacking alligator.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Jorge Pino told Fort Myers television station WBBH the teen's arm was still inside the 11-foot alligator when it was hunted down and killed Monday evening.

Kaleb Langdale, 17, was rushed to a Fort Myers hospital but the arm couldn't be reattached.

Langdale was swimming in the Caloosahatchee River near Moore Haven when the attack occurred after the teen and friends got the idea to swim across the river.

"I spent my whole life in the water, so I was out in front, leaving everybody in the dust," he said. "I got maybe about 30 yards away from the bank and my friend Abraham starts yelling 'Gator,' and I thought 'Man why you got to mess with me like that?" he said.

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Langdale said he saw the alligator coming straight for him. He told his friends to get back. When the alligator was right next to him, the teen grabbed skin under the gator's neck in an effort to control the reptile. The gator pulled him under, and the two wrestled and at some point, the gator got the teen's arm.

"He done another death roll and broke all the bones, everthing in it. Like, I just felt 'it's gone,"  he said. "Well, he started pulling me down, and I knew it's either this bone, I've got to lose this arm or I am going to die."

Langdale said he had stopped the bleeding  before authorities arrived.

"My biggest fear was losing my arm," he said. "I am glad it went after me, chose me instead of one of  my friends cause I don't think they would've done the same thing and got out of it."

More Local NewsOfficials say it's alligator mating season and attacks are not uncommon. 


 
 
 
Copyright AP - Associated Press
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