11-Foot-Long Gator Drags Woman Underwater By The Hand In FL River

MARTIN COUNTY, FL — A 27-year-old woman was pulled underwater Wednesday when an alligator bit her hand on the South Fork River, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post.

The victim and her boyfriend took their boat out on the river near Southwest Linden Street.

While in waistdeep water with their dog, a gator bit her hand and wrist and momentarily pulled her under water, the sheriff’s office said.

When the gator released the woman, the boyfriend drove her to the boat ramp at Charlie Leighton Park.

She was flown to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital as a precaution.

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Her boyfriend and dog were uninjured.

Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission officers responded to the scene and worked with a trapper to try to locate the gator. There hasn’t been an update about whether the reptile has been found.

Alligators live in all of Florida's 67 counties, according to wildlife officials on the FWC website.

Florida's rise in inhabited waterfront homes and water-related activities increases the chance of human-alligator interactions, they added.

Residents should keep their distance and not feed alligators, while pets should be on a leash and not near water, wildlife officials said.

Swimmers should solely swim in designated areas during daylight, the FWC said.

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