According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, a woman was attacked by an alligator while she was swimming in water that was waist-deep in Florida with her boyfriend and their dog.
According to a statement released by the sheriff’s office, the assault took place on Wednesday, when the woman, who was 27 years old at the time, and her boyfriend were out on the water in their boat within the South Fork of the St. Lucie River in Stuart, Florida.
The woman was freed by the alligator, and her boyfriend “swiftly” jumped in to “save her life,” according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Michael McCarthy, who spoke to the media on Wednesday.
According to the authorities, the victim was transported to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, Florida, after being driven to the boat ramp at Charlie Leighton Park in Palm City, Florida, by the woman’s boyfriend.
During the time that the two were swimming with their dog in water that was waist-deep, “an alligator bit the hand and wrist of the female” and momentarily pulled her underwater, according to the officials.
A representative from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation arrived at the scene and is currently “waiting for their trapper to locate the alligator,” according to the sheriff’s office website. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the trapper has not yet captured the alligator and will continue “removal efforts” on Thursday.
As of Thursday, it is not clear what she is currently experiencing in terms of her condition.
In response to a request for comment made by ABC News, neither the Martin County Sheriff’s Office nor the HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital provided an immediate response.
