Harrowing 911 call describes moments after alligator fatally attacked Florida woman: ‘One arm is completely off’

Harrowing 911 call describes moments after alligator fatally attacked Florida woman: ‘One arm is completely off’ ‘Every body of water could potentially have an alligator in it,’ a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson warned - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments A harrowing 911 call has described the moments after an alligator attacked and killed a woman in a Florida river. “One arm is completely off,” a frantic caller told a 911 dispatcher Sunday afternoon, according to local NBC News affiliate WESH, which reported on several emergency calls made during the attack. The 31-year-old woman from Orlando had been hiking with her boyfriend and her best friend in Little Big Econ State Forest when they decided to go into the Econlockhatchee River to cool off, Grant Eller from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told NBC News. At around 1:30 p.m. ET, the woman was attacked as the group waded in about 3ft of water in Seminole County, officials said at a press conference on Monday. "How bad is the bite?" the 911 dispatcher asked the caller, who responded: “Horrible.” The caller said of the woman’s injuries, “Both her arms are dislocated...off basically...one arm is completely off." Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson Chad Weber said during Monday’s press conference that the woman’s boyfriend tried to get her away from the alligator's mouth. When asked by the emergency dispatcher if the gator was coming back, the 911 caller said, "No, it went away.” "We’re far off the trail, we’re off of a little launch area by the river,” the caller said. “We need help now!" Weber said the woman died on her way to the hospital. Authorities did not name the woman at the time because they first needed to notify her family, who were out of state. One hiker who frequents the area where the attack occurred described a large, female alligator in the water. "There's a place where a female gator hangs out to lay her eggs...and most people that come out here very often know that she could be there, and so keep your eyes open and don't get in the water," Nancy Palmer told WESH. Following the attack, Weber said officials had killed a 12-foot alligator and a 13-foot alligator in the area. “We've done DNA analysis on the two gators that have been harvested, and we'll be taking those up to our Gainesville lab here in the next day or so,” Lieutenant Grant Eller said at the press conference. “That'll help us to determine whether or not the animal in question is the ones that we've harvested.” Officials are unsure what caused the attack. “It could be any number of things,” Weber said. “With low water levels that we have. We are coming into the end of mating season — alligators become very territorial.” Weber emphasized that alligators are a part of Florida’s ecosystem. “In the state of Florida, obviously, we have alligators in all 67 counties. Every body of water could potentially have an alligator in it,” the spokesperson said. “There is some risk when you swim in the bodies of water in the state of Florida,” Weber added. While officials have said that serious injuries caused by alligators in Florida are rare, WESH reported three gator attacks in the past several days. On Monday, the local outlet said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was investigating an alligator attack on a boy who was fishing in Marion County with his dad. The eight-foot-seven gator that bit the boy on his hand was subsequently killed, according to WESH, which cited officials. Local hiker Leia Vieira was unaware of any incidents of alligators biting people in the area where the 31-year-old woman was attacked. "I've seen really big gators in here. I've never heard of an attack, though," she told WESH. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments