Photo: TexPhoto / E+ / Getty Images
A fisherman was rushed to the hospital after a massive alligator attacked him Sunday afternoon (March 10), according to FOX 35 Orlando. Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) officers responded to a pond near the Grand Vista Trail in Leesburg around 4:30 p.m. on reports of the man losing his hand in the gruesome attack.
Ron Priest told reporters he watched the entire situation unfold in his backyard. The witness claims the victim was reeling in the fish when the alligator emerged from the water and chomped down on his hand.
"While the guy was on the ground, the gator got the guy in the hand, and the two rolled," he recounted. "The gator was after [the] fish, and what we don't know is if the guy was trying to unhook the fish."
FWC estimates the gator to be 9 feet long. Lake County Fire Rescue also released 911 calls from the terrifying incident.
"There is a gator attacking a man in my backyard!" one of the callers, identified by reporters as Priest's wife, said. "Some people now have stopped in their golf carts!" Another caller told a dispatcher the alligator "took his hand off," referring to the victim.
Reporters said the man was airlifted to a nearby Orlando hospital. No word on the fisherman's condition as of Tuesday morning (March 12).
The alligator fled back into the pond after the attack. Officials confirmed a trapper removed the reptile from the water.