A 27-year-old woman is recovering after she was bitten by an alligator and dragged underwater while swimming with her dog in Florida, according to authorities.
The incident happened on the South Fork of the Saint Lucie River, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement released Wednesday, July 23. The woman, whose name has not been released, was in waist-deep water with her boyfriend and their dog when the alligator struck.
“An alligator bit the female victim on the hand and wrist and momentarily pulled her underwater before letting go,” officials stated. Her boyfriend quickly rushed her back to the boat ramp at Charlie Leighton Park.
Emergency crews from Martin County Fire Rescue responded to the scene around 7:51 p.m. and treated the woman for serious injuries before she was airlifted to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce. Her boyfriend and the dog were unharmed.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was also called in and said they would send a trapper to locate the alligator. As of now, it’s unclear if the animal has been captured.
The sheriff’s office has not released additional details about the woman’s current condition but confirmed she survived the attack.
