Homeless man loses arm in alligator attack in Florida lake after ignoring warnings
A homeless Florida man taking a midnight dip in a lake lost half his arm in an alligator attack moments after a concerned local warned him of the dangers lurking in the water, according to a report.
The daredevil, who was only identified as a 31-year-old man, was bitten around 2 a.m. Sunday in Seminole County’s Lake Monroe, according to the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
He managed to drag himself out of the water, but collapsed on a nearby road — where a couple of good Samaritans rushed to his rescue.
The man was rushed to a nearby hospital, and surgeons saved his life by amputating his arm at the elbow, according to FWC.
The entire nightmare could have been avoided, however, if the fearless swimmer heeded a fisherman’s advice.
“I was fishing down the bank. It was getting dark. And I saw something floating, probably 500-600 feet away,” John Lawson, who was in his boat that night, told News 6.
“I asked him if he was alright. I startled him. He said, ‘Yeah, yeah, No. I’m good,’” Lawson said. “I kind of hung around for a minute just to make sure because it was strange going under the water.”
Lawson’s wife convinced him to call the cops out of concern the man could drown, get hit by a boat or worse.
“I was like, ‘Man, we’re just trying to help you. You’re out here in the dark, like you’re either gonna get hit by a boat or eaten by a gator.’ He said he wasn’t worried about gators,” Lawson said.
But the homeless man instead got mad, eventually throwing objects from the water at Lawson.
Officers arrived at the lake offering the man blankets and clothes, but the swimmer ignored their pleas and continued with his swim.
Sometime later, the man became a victim of one of the lake’s many reptiles.
Researchers with FWC estimate there are more than 1,200 alligators in Lake Monroe, which spans 8,771 acres.
Why the man, who officials believe is homeless, was swimming in the dangerous waters is still a mystery.