Florida Man Attacked By 8-Foot Alligator While Walking Dog
Mark Johnson, a 61-year-old Port St. Lucie, Florida man was attacked by a nearly 250-pound, 8-foot alligator while he was out walking his dog last Sunday (Sept. 13). The incident occurred when Johnson slid and got his foot stuck in the mud as he walked his dog Rex near a canal last Sunday morning.
He says, “The next thing I know, I see the lunge. He starts clamping down pretty tight [on my leg] and he started to pull, and the next thing I do, I instantly, here’s my fingers, I poke through the eye.” Johnson poked the 8ft, 6in gator’s eye while it desperately tried to drag him under the water.
RELATED: Florida Man Who Survived Alligator Bite Is Bit By 8-Foot Shark
However, after doing so, the gator let go and swam away. Johnson adds, “I had to do something. That’s why I say you have seconds to react. Luckily, he opened up. He could have easily started tearing flesh and after flesh you’re talking bone and twisting and that’s a leg removal.” After the attack, Johnson went to the hospital, where he received more than 62 stitches to close up his 12 puncture wounds in his right leg, plus another five to mend his index finger used to poke the gator’s eye.
RELATED: Woman Climbs Into Alligator Pit With Her Son To Retrieve Wallet