- Rachel Thompson was going about her daily routine when she took a dip.
- As he emerged from the river, he discovered the alligator and was under attack.
- Thompson was unable to stop the attack until the damage was already done.
A Florida woman is counting her blessings after what was supposed to be a refreshing dip in a local river ended in a brutal alligator attack.
Rachel Thompson was doing her daily morning yoga and jogging routine when she walked down to the Hillsborough River near her home in Temple Terrace.
Upon leaving the river he discovered the alligator and was immediately attacked.
“The moment I saw his head, it was just a split second between the moment I saw his head and him grabbing my leg,” Thompson said.
Thompson tried everything she knew to try to stop the alligator: she grabbed a rock and hit it. The alligator attacked her even more until she managed to escape in an amazing way.
A Florida woman is counting her blessings after what was supposed to be a refreshing dip in a local river ended in a brutal alligator attack.
Rachel Thompson was doing her daily morning yoga and jogging routine when she walked down to the Hillsborough River near her home in Temple Terrace. When she emerged from the river, she spotted the alligator and was immediately attacked.
Little by little he realized that his resistance was beginning to weaken.
“I realized that no matter how hard I tried to pull, I was losing ground,” he said. Bay News 9.
“He was gaining ground and gradually dragging me towards the middle of the river, into deeper water,” he added.
Thompson’s escape was shocking but effective.
‘In my desperation, I simply put my hands on either side of its jaws and pried them open.’
Thompson was lucky that her son found her and a neighbor eventually took her to the nearest hospital.
Doctors saw that Thompson’s leg was in bad shape and were concerned about a possible infection.
He underwent surgery to repair his broken leg and could be released as early as Saturday.
Doctors saw that Thompson’s leg was in bad shape and were concerned about a possible infection.
He underwent surgery to repair his broken leg and could be released as early as Saturday.
Thompson is still at risk of infection, but is grateful to be able to get away.
“I wasn’t ready to leave my family,” she said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the attack.
They say it is rare for an alligator to attack a human or pose any kind of threat.
Most often, attacks can occur “when people don’t pay close attention to their surroundings when working or recreating near water.”
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