An 11-year-old boy survived an alligator attack in Florida after his father leapt onto the reptile and pried its jaws open, but the attack resulted in the amputation of the boy's right hand. Brodie Dituri was fishing in Marion County on June 27 when an 8-foot-7-inch alligator bit his hand as he released a fish back into the water.
Father's instinctive reaction
Peter Dituri, the boy's father, said he acted purely on instinct. He jumped onto the alligator and began forcing its jaws apart while shouting for bystanders to call 911. According to the New York Post, Peter stated: "There was no thought process. It was just instinct. The officers all said that if I didn't go on top of it and had caused it to roll, it would have pulled him into the water before rolling. From having nobody around to having people there, I can't thank them enough."
Medical aftermath and fear of Florida
Doctors had to amputate Brodie's right hand. He has since been visited by a doctor who discussed possible transplants and prosthetics. Peter shared that his son is now afraid to return to Florida. "He always has to bring his fishing pole with him. Any chance he sees water, he's like, 'Let's go fishing.' Right now, that's absolutely not gonna happen. He is definitely afraid of Florida," Peter explained.
Rarity of alligator attacks
Florida has recorded only 500 unprovoked alligator attacks since 1948. FWC Lt. Grant Eller told News6: "All freshwater bodies in the state of Florida do contain alligators — just use caution when swimming in freshwater." The father and son had fished in the area several times over the last few years without incident.
