Victim Identified in Fatal Alligator Attack
Brittany Clark, a 31-year-old hiker, has been identified as the victim of a horrific alligator attack near Orlando, Florida. The attack occurred on Sunday, 28 June, while Clark was walking with her partner, Chance Allison, and a friend along the Econlockhatchee River.
Details of the Attack
The group paused to rest and went for a swim in three-foot-deep water when an alligator, estimated between 12 and 13 feet in length, clamped its jaws onto both of Clark's arms. Her boyfriend desperately tried to free her, but the alligator severed one arm and severely injured the other, leaving it barely attached.
According to the medical examiner's report, Clark and Allison were dragged underwater in a 'death roll'—a technique alligators use to drown prey. Allison called 911 while battling the beast, dragging Clark to shore. The alligator briefly released her but bit down again on one arm.
Emergency Call Reveals Horror
Wildlife official Grant Eller, a lieutenant with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, stated that the group was kneeling in shallow waters around 1:30 pm when the attack occurred. In the 911 call obtained by NBC News, Allison can be heard screaming as a woman describes the injuries: "Both her arms, both her arms, both her arms are off, like, basically." When asked if her arms were still attached, the woman replied, "One of them is, like, very hanging on [by a] thread, and the other was off."
Victim Died Before Reaching Hospital
Eller confirmed that Clark, a resident of Orlando, died before she could be transported to a hospital. Seminole County sheriff's deputies, with the help of a professional trapper, captured two alligators near the scene—one 13 feet and one 12 feet long. DNA samples from both reptiles have been sent for lab analysis to identify the attacker.
Context of the Attack
This incident is one of several alligator attacks in central Florida in recent days, as alligators become more aggressive after mating season. Authorities urge caution near waterways.
