An elderly woman in Florida was severely injured in an alligator attack while she was out walking her dog near a pond in the North Fort Myers area. Dolores Boppel, 84, described the sudden attack as a “torpedo” and said she barely had time to react.
The incident took place around 7 p.m. on a Thursday. Boppel noticed the seven-foot, three-inch alligator eyeing her and instinctively threw her small dog into the air to divert the reptile’s attention. However, the alligator lunged at her, biting her leg and causing significant injuries.
In addition to the leg wound, Boppel also suffered injuries to her hand and arm, according to Bradley Johnson, a spokesperson for the Florida wildlife commission. Following the attack, Boppel was rushed to a local hospital where she is reported to be in stable condition and recovering well.
The dog, fortunately, was unscathed in the incident. After the attack, the alligator was captured and removed from the area, as confirmed by another spokesperson from the wildlife commission. Johnson described the size of the alligator as “relatively average.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has recorded over 450 alligator bites on humans in the state from 1948 through 2022, with 30 of these incidents proving fatal. In June, a video surfaced showing the aftermath of a deadly alligator attack that claimed the life of a homeless grandmother in Largo, a small community south of Clearwater. In the same month, a homeless man lost half his arm during a late-night swim in Seminole County’s Lake Monroe, despite warnings from locals.
Boppel, who is still recovering from her injuries, was unavailable for comment.