PALM CITY, Fla. — A farmworker in Palm City experienced a scare of a lifetime when he was attacked Wednesday while picking peppers in a field near a drainage ditch.
The victim of the attack spoke with WPTV on Thursday but is remaining anonymous.
"He attacked me. He bit my left leg," the victim said in Spanish. "Only one co-worker noticed when the gator attacked me and tried to shove it off my leg. At that moment I put my hand on the gator and tried to pull him off. That's when he finally let go, and I threw myself away from him."
Palm City
Alligator bites Palm City farmworker
The Martin County Sheriff's Office responded to that scene and was able to track down the reptile, safely removing it. The alligator measured 9 feet and 4 inches.
The victim was thankful to be able to walk away despite several puncture wounds.
"It scared me because I thought it damaged my leg more than it had, like broken a bone or something," the victim said. "Thank God it wasn't worse because given the size of that gator it could have been a lot more destructive."
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said this type of incident is not uncommon, especially this time of year.
"This is a perfect storm," Snyder said. "We know alligators are more aggressive during drought, during heat, and during mating season, and we have all three of those right now, so if you see an alligator you've got to stay away from it."
