Huge Alligator Bites 60-Year-Old Man's Arm, Victim Suffers Serious Injuries

A 60-year-old man was hospitalized Monday afternoon after being bitten by a huge alligator in a Florida park.

The man was in a densely wooded area of Wa-Ke Hatchee Park in Lee County when he was attacked by the gator. The victim has been identified as William Simmons of Fort Myers. Authorities said a good Samaritan found Simmons along a path and called 911. Emergency service providers arrived at the scene and transported him to Lee Memorial Hospital with serious injuries to his left arm, WFLA reported.

“He actually was able to get to another person that was in that area, and that person was able to get him some help," Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) officer Adam Brown reportedly said.

Officials with FWC said investigators are yet to speak to Simmons, therefore, many details about the incident are still unavailable. A FWC contracted nuisance alligator trapper was reportedly trying to trap the gator, which was responsible for the attack, CBS Local reported.

Meanwhile, officials said serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida. FWC is currently investigating the incident to determine the cause of the alligator attack.

Alligators sightings are very common in several parts of Florida. In some cases, the reptiles are also spotted in residential areas. However, FWC does not relocate the reptiles unless they are more than 4 feet long or if the gators exhibit aggressive behavior.

As of April 2019, there were said to be around one million alligators. According to FWC, between 1948 and 2019, 413 unprovoked alligator bite incidents took place, of which 25 were fatal.

In a recent incident, a woman and her friends had a close call with an alligator while they were on a fishing trip in the Florida Everglades. A "terrifying" TikTok video surfaced online showing a gator sneaking up on the unaware woman. The video, which went viral, shows the gator calmly staring at her from the water a few feet away. At one point, the gator is seen slowly raising its head out of the water. In the video, the woman can be heard screaming: "Oh my god, holy s---."