I was powerless and completely at the mercy of that wild animal. I was given the opportunity to make a chance, and I decided to live. He'll need prosthesis.". Market data provided by Factset. Finally, Merda said he encountered a man on the other side of a fence who asked him what he was doing. While power outages and demolished buildings each come with their own unique set of challenges, a heartbreaking story has drawn attention to just how dangerous a simple walk down your street could be post-hurricane. A Florida man is opening up about a recent nightmarish alligator attack that resulted in the loss of one of his arms. The rescuer said he found Merda naked and bloodied in the swamp. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Tweet. When she returned, her husband was no longer lying on the steps. 0:45. He was talking to us and everything. Then, he was stretchered off to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where surgeons removed most of his right arm. An alligator handler got wrangled in by the creature she was hired to control -- but before things turned deadly . "It was all together, but it was a blueish color," McCrea said of the torn limb. Harriet Alexander For Dailymail.com 'He was in a lot of pain. or redistributed. Associated Press. Fatal alligator attacks are rare in the United States, typically occurring about once a year. 'I look over and there's a gator on my right-hand side,' he told 10 Tampa Bay. WFTV He swam back to where he started, and then he began walking around, screaming for help. This story has been shared 141,895 times. But they weren't especially worried alligator attacks in Louisiana are rare and usually the injuries are not serious. After a gator bit Eric Merda's arm off while swimming in Lake Manatee, he spent three exhausting days on the swamp with one arm, Tampa's WTSP reports.There have been at least a half-dozen gator attacks in the Tampa Bay region this season, the most recent of which involved a . Eric Merda, 43, says he had just finished an irrigation job in July in Parrish Florida when he decided to stop at Lake Manatee Fish Camp to throw away trash which resulted in him getting lost in the woods, WTVT-TV reported. Lance Vitter said Thursday. In a recounting of the events given by the victims wife, she told authorities she was inside their home when she heard a commotion, and rushed outside to witness her husband being attacked by a gator, which bit off one of the mans arms. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. SLIDELL, La. On July 17, Eric Merda was swimming across Lake. When she returned, Satterless was missing.Neighbors said large alligators are common in the area, near the Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge, because some residents feed them. In a message to others, Merda told 10 Tampa Bay that people should be cautious around Florida waters. When you decide to walk in the door of any place with a live alligator show, there's a small, sadistic part of you that hopes something goes wrong. The incident happened in late October around a . After the alligator finally retreated, Merda says he was injured and lost in the swamp for three days before being found and airlifted to a hospital where doctors amputated his arm. In addition to the missing man, at least four people in Louisiana and Mississippi have died following Hurricane Ida, one of the strongest storms to ever hit the region. I'm actually thriving. "Im actually thriving. A Florida man is grateful he can play catch with his kids again after doctors re-attached his arm following an alligator attack. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Market data provided by Factset. Harriet Alexander For Dailymail.com, That's a tail-gator! Video shows shoppers fleeing from ISIS-inspired attacker i Woman has 'loud, full body orgasm' in the middle of LA concert, All the red carpet highlights and star-studded fashionfrom the Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala, Bride killed, groom seriously hurt by drunk driver just minutes after leaving reception, Rihannas Met Gala bridal look makes fan question if she married A$AP Rocky, Inside Met Gala 2023: See celebs let loose at extravagant dinner, Pregnant Rihanna arrives fashionably late in blooming white gown at Met Gala 2023, Khristina Williams previews the New York Liberty's 2023 WNBA season, Elon Musk Tells Bill Maher Woke Mind Virus Is Dangerous On Real Time, Katy Perry will be temporarily replaced on 'American Idol' amid drama. And there's nothing, no words can describe it, you know. Trump's latest attack addresses DeSantis' overseas trips to the U.K., Israel, Florida's Covid-19 record, and polling support for the 2024 Presidential race. The agency says that 22 alligator bites have been reported in Florida this year after a total of 21 bite incidents in 2021. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. In a TikTok video shared by @thereptilezoo, a woman let a massive alligator lay on top of her and it ended up urinating all over the place! Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Scott Lahodik, 51, was doing the job the course hired him to do when the alligator clamped down on his left arm and caused a significant injury to his arm, according to FOX 13 and WFTS.. He was talking to us and everything. Officials were not sure why the alligator attacked the boy, although in warm weather they feed more often, Kinler said. Despite losing the arm, Merda says he feels a new sense of purpose after the attack. 'And there's nothing, no words can describe it, you know.'. ' Merda recalled. VIDEO: Bear, two cubs stroll down Orange County neighborhood sidewalk. STPSO used high water vehicles and flatboats in an attempt to locate the victim, but as of this time all attempts have been futile. "I said a gator got my arm, he says 'holy smokes man! One day after Merda was rescued, Florida Fish and Wildlife told the outlet that a contractor had removed two alligators from the artificial reservoir a six-foot and a nine-foot alligator. Bones poking out, muscles, if I try to move my fingers, you could see it twitching, he struggled to recall. Suggest a story here: http://bit.ly/suggest-tomonews\r\rStay connected with us here:\rFacebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS\rTwitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS\rGoogle+ http://plus.google.com/+TomoNewsUS/\rInstagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-Please watch: \"Crying dog breaks the internets heart but this sad dog story has a happy ending\" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4prKTN9bYQc-~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Fortunately, he escaped unhurt. Florida Man Who Got Arm Bitten Off By Alligator and Survived in Swamp Gives Wild Interview. Wildlife officials tracked down and killed the alligator. The tragic event serves as an unfortunate reminder that humans were not the only living things displaced during hurricane Ida, and flooded areas are now particularly hazardous to trek through. "It's too bad someone didn't contact us to get it out of there.". He was like just help, help, help. Woman bitten twice by shark while boogie boarding at New Smyrna Beach, beach officials say. This story has been shared 390,266 times. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. A man nearly had his arm severed after being bitten by an alligator in Seminole County.Officials said the man was hunting alligators at Lake Jesup Thursday evening when he was bitten.One of the . VIDEO: Man loses part of arm after bitten by 12-foot alligator, officials say. She managed to pulled him away from the animal before running to call for help but was forced to take a boat due to the high waters and lack of cell service, WWL-TV reported. "It's an ideal pond to swim in, clean, beautiful," said Howard McCrea, 61, the St. Tammany Parish deputy and nuisance alligator hunter who caught the animal that attacked Funck. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. A Louisiana Man Had His Arm Bitten Off By An Alligator Walking In Hurricane Idas Floodwaters, And Then He Vanished, The Best Coachella 2023 Performances Were Reflections Of Pure Joy, My (Non-Anonymous) Ballot For The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, HBOs White House Plumbers Delivers An Absurd Historical Snapshot And A Knockout Performance From Justin Theroux, The Rundown: Ted Lasso Has Created A Delightful Little I Think You Should Leave Conundrum, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office: When she [..] realized the severity of his injuries, she immediately got into her pirogue and went to higher ground, which was approximately a mile away, to get help. Eric Merda, from Sarasota, was taken to hospital after the attack at Lake Manatee Fish Camp in Myakka City in the US state on 17 July. "I was reborn for a reason, and I believe that is to motivate people," Eric Merda told WFLA about the July incident. Florida Man Survives Three Days in Woods After Alligator Bites Off Arm A man in Florida who managed to survive for three days lost in the woods after an alligator tore off his arm. A birthday party at a Utah reptile park turned into a horrible experience for the children, when an alligator bit the handler's hand and dragged her into its enclosure. A Florida man who had his arm ripped off by an alligator as he swam across a lake has offered some advice, saying: "Leave them gators alone". The man was being treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, according to the The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "The urgent problem with reattaching a limb is getting blood supply to the muscle as soon as possible," said Dr. Charles Dupin, head of plastic surgery at the LSU Health Science Center. KSLTV.com. The first thing Merda requested was water. Doctors at . Heres hoping the in the coming days we dont see too much of an increase in that, folks stay safe, and demolished areas start to be rebuilt. The 72-year . A death roll is the name given to the rapid spinning maneuver that crocodilians, including alligators, perform to subdue and dismember prey. Merda was taken to hospital where doctors amputated most of his right arm. Halfway across the lake, Merda says he encountered an alligator that grabbed his arm and snapped it as it tried to pull him under the water three times. But family friend Cory Dunn said the effort was unsuccessful. The above-displayed photographs have been linked to an October 2009 incident in which a 10-foot alligator bit off the arm of a 77-year-old South . They estimated the gator to be about 12 feet in length, according to the Seminole County Sheriffs Office. Subscribe to our newsletter for new stories, tips & events. The alligator was caught and euthanized around 12:30 a.m. today, the FWC said. Jeffrey Heim, 25, was searching for shark teeth in a river in Florida when a gator pounced on him and grabbed his head in between his jaws. The reptile handler was performing the stunt at the Phokkathara. TikTok user Amanda Leigh Demuth saw a three-legged alligator in the middle of a road during a recent visit to Fort Myers, Florida. Im going up, and Im not coming back down.". At 2:21 a.m. Sunday, Edwards was hanging out with friends on Nubbin Slough in Okeechobee County when he told them he was going to swim across a 25-foot-deep canal, according to an Okeechobee . Authorities are still looking for a 71-year-old Louisiana man who went missing after an alligator tore his arm off inside his shed, which was flooded during Hurricane Ida. 'She got my forearm so I grabbed her like this, she was trying to roll by.'. "He will no longer be able to do the work he loves, and many other things he loved doing," his aunt Evelyn James wrote in a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe, titled 'my nephew the born survivor, gets attacked.'. The man was attacked outside his home in the New Orleans suburb of. I'm thriving. A Florida man is speaking out after a three-day-long ordeal in which he lost his arm in an alligator attack and then got lost in a swamp. A Florida man who was attacked by an alligator while diving for shark's teeth says he's lucky to have survived the ordeal with only a skull fracture and staples to his head. "I was reborn for a reason, and I believe that is to motivate people.". A midwestern farmer called emergency services, shouting: "Come before it gets me again!" after he was attacked by his pet zebra at a farm in . All rights reserved. Florida is known for its large alligator population. Footage. This story has been shared 153,567 times. As of right now, the victims name has not been disclosed. It's the people throwing rocks and giving them food.". Luckily, Dandwate survived the attack, at the cost of losing his left arm, and is expected to be fitted with a prosthetic limb. The Sarasota man tried to seek help, but then realized he was lost and wandered for three days in severe agony. A man in Florida who managed to survive for three days lost in the woods after an alligator tore off his arm has spoken about his ordeal two months after the attack. Funck and two friends from Slidell, La., about 20 miles northeast of New Orleans, had trudged half a mile to a small pond called Crystal Lake for a swim Wednesday afternoon. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The clip has garnered more than 2K likes. Upon reflection of his harrowing experience, Merda said he wants to become a motivational speaker. A stock photo shows an alligator in a Florida swamp. Merda claims hes adjusting to a new routine with a different outlook, and he wants to warn other people about the need for caution in Florida waterways. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, "Leave them gators alone" - that's the advice from a Florida man who lost his arm to one of the huge reptiles after he took the questionable decision to swim across a lake. CNN affiliate WFTS reports. 'She snapped her head so my arm with backwards like this completely,' he said. Merda managed to swim to the shore and yell for help, in agony. Funck was in stable condition Thursday, Dunn said. If youre outraged, were outraged. Officials say an alligator bit off part of a golfer's arm as he leaned over to pick up his ball at a private South Carolina course. He was in a lot of pain. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Footage showed him wrangling with the thrashing gator. BENGALURU, INDIA An Indian engineer is learning the hard way that even after you have been mauled by crocodiles trying to rescue your pet, the government w. Updated: Sep 8, 2022 / 04:54 PM EDT. So I followed the sun and power lines, stuff I could see. On the third day, he found a fence and someone on the other side. A man who was diving for shark teeth was bitten in the head by a nine-foot alligator and he survived the attack. 'I said a gator got me arm, he said, 'holy smokes man!'. Garca looked to be in pain and shook his right arm a bit . FOX NEWS - A 71-year-old Louisiana man was most likely killed during an alligator attack in which his arm was bitten off in the floodwaters of Hurricane Ida, according to media reports. The man was participating in the Statewide Alligator Harvest at the time of the incident, according to the commission. \r\riPhone: http://bit.ly/http://bit.ly/iOS-wfts\rAndroid: http://bit.ly/abcaction-android We tell it like it is. When Satterlees wife heard splashing Monday, she walked outside their home to see the gator attacking her husband, officials said. It happened Tuesday in Charlotte City, north of Fort Myers. HOMELESS FLORIDA MAN TAKES STOLEN CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT ON JOYRIDE, LEAVES PATH OF DESTRUCTION: POLICE, Florida alligator being trapped by wildlife officials (Fox 13 Tampa Bay). Florida man survives for THREE DAYS in the swamp after an alligator bites off his arm when he attempted to swim through a lake: 'Not the smartest decision a Florida boy can make' Eric. Doctors at Ochsner Hospital worked Wednesday night to reattach Devin Funck's left arm, which had been rushed to a hospital after its recovery about 3 1/2 hours after the attack. However, upon returning to her husband, his body was nowhere to be found, leading officials to presume the man had been finished off by the gator. March 29, 2021 12:15 pm ET. The reptile went into "death rolls," a technique used to tear apart food.. The shocking video was caught on camera and is now going viral. The alligator then launched itself upwards partially into the boat and bit (the victim) on his right arm and began to spin, amputating the arm at about the middle of the forearm, the report states. Suddenly the 400-pound alligator grabbed him by his arm, according to media reports, and dragged him into a pond. St. Tammy Parish Sheriff Randy Smith went on to urge residents to be extra vigilant when walking in flooded areas, as wildlife has been displaced as well during this storm and alligators and other animals may have moved closer into neighborhoods.. "Do you want to live or die. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. The man's wife witnessed the attack that happened near the city of Slidell, which is just. The man was attacked outside his home in the New Orleans suburb of Slidell, which was inundated with several feet of water. Video Claim The video claiming to show a Bungee jumper's head bitten off by a Crocodile has been circulating via email and social networking & video sharing sites for several years. They searched until it got dark yesterday, and unfortunately we still havent located Mr. Satterlee, Vitter said. He told Fox13 Tampa Bay he is happy to be alive: "It's do or die," he said. In May, 47-year-old Thomas McGuinness died after he was injured by an alligator while at Taylor Lake in Largo. "It's do or die," Merda explained. Witnesses told police that three of them were alligator hunting on the side side of Lake Jesup when they caught an alligator by a snatch line. Authorities are still looking for a 71-year-old Louisiana man who went missing after an alligator tore his arm off inside his shed, which was flooded during Hurricane Ida. They cut the fence they helped him up, and he actually walked to the ambulance.". Merda spent three fruitless days meandering around the dismal swamp, trying to find an exit.I felt like I was walking in circles, I didnt know, Merda said. A golf resort in South Carolina posted a photo of a man on the golf course dangerously grabbing the tail of an alligator while another man took his picture. Legal Statement. However, thanks to a brave man, the handler's hand was freed from the jaws of the reptile. Merda told the outlet that he spotted his truck across a body of water and jumped into the water figuring he could swim to his vehicle. Alligator bit off most of a woman's arm while she was swimming in the Wekiva River in Seminole County, Florida. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! He told Fox News 13that Merda was evidently in agony. , updated Only 13 fatalities were recorded nationally since 2000, and none was in Louisiana. WTSP shared portions of the interview with Merda on their Youtube. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Search crews have used a cadaver dog in their search for the victim, St. Tammany Parish sheriffs Capt. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Shes already got my arm, so when we came up the third time, she finally did her death roll and took off with my arm, Merda explained. There have been at least a half-dozen gator attacks in the Tampa Bay region this season, the most recent of which involved a 77-year-old woman over Labor Day weekend. On July 15, an 80-year-old woman was killed after she fell into the canal near her home at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club in Englewood, about 30 miles south of Sarasota. Last modified on Wed 15 Mar 2023 14.01 EDT. "My heart is broken but we are so thankful he is alive," James added. SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. A man was taken to the hospital after being bitten by an alligator at Lake Jesup Park around 6 p.m. Thursday evening, officials said. "Do you want to live or die. Shane Richins, the company's owner, said in an interview Monday that the handler was opening the enclosure to feed the the 8-foot gator named "Darth Gator" as usual, but this time the . He continued to fight for his life as the alligator dragged him three times beneath the water. One of the alligators attacks him and bites down on his arm. "This was a very large gator, and as they get bigger they can become more aggressive," said Noel Kinler, manager of the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries' alligator program. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. some on-the-spot heroics by zoo guests saved . On 1 February 2018, the dubious web site World News Daily Report published a fake news article about a Greenpeace activist who had his arm bitten off by a shark after they tried to give it a hug . He said he was then dragged underwater three times before the alligator "finally did her death roll and took off with my arm.". Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Sarasota man found naked with arm gone after gator attack, witnesses say. "With a bone poking out and a lot of pain, the whole three days I was screaming at the top of my lungs," he said. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. A 71-year-old Louisiana man is missing after an alligator bit off his arm in floodwaters caused by Hurricane Ida. Eric Merda said he spent three days lost in . \r\rABC Action News, WFTS, covers local news in Tampa Bay and Florida. Donnie Wiseman was visiting the Scales and Tails petting zoo in. Not the smartest decision a Florida boy could make, Merda told WTSP. Eric Merda, a 43-year-old Sarasota resident, fell victim to the alligator after he decided to take a swim at Lake Manatee Fish Camp in Myakka City on July 17. 1:08 A petting zoo thanked a man for his heroism after he jumped on an alligator to save a handler who was caught in its jaws. SCOTUS Now Just Another Congressional Committee, Trump Ramps up Attacks on DeSantis: 'Dropping Like a Rock', Russian Strikes on Pavlohrad Aim to Hamper Ukraine's Counteroffensive, Greg Abbott Criticized for Response to Texas Shooting: 'A New Low', Democrat Sold First Republic Stock, Bought JP Morgan Before Collapse, Conservative Influencers Struggle With Countering Biden's Messaging. An off-duty scientist decided to lend a helping hand in 2012 when an alligator was spotted along Highway 70 in North Carolina. Following the attack, she was able to bring him in a bit closer to their home, where she then ran to retrieve first aid for his severed limb. An alligator attacking a man swimming in a lake in Florida was captured by drone footage. 'Bones poking out, muscles, if I try to move my fingers, you could see it twitching,' he said. Hospital spokeswoman Amiee Goforth said she could not discuss Funck's condition without permission from his family. All rights reserved. "It had been pulled from the shoulder.". Last month a Brandon man was swimming in Lake Thonotosassa when an alligator bit him on the face, according to a statement from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) obtained by PEOPLE. A 71-year-old Louisiana man is missing after an alligator bit off his arm in floodwaters caused by Hurricane Ida. - Doctors were unable to reattach an 11-year-old Louisiana boy's arm that was retrieved from the belly of the alligator, a family friend said Thursday. The man, who officials did not identify, was attacked . Share. Timothy Satterlee was attacked by the scaly beast on Monday at his home in Slidell, where his shed was under several feet of water during the storm surge near Lake Pontchartrain. or redistributed. The commission, Seminole County Sheriffs Office and fire and rescue teams responded to the incident. The man was golfing at the Ocean Creek Golf Course when his ball went into a nearby pond. The wildlife agency says 22 alligator-bite incidents have been reported this year. Fla. Man Hospitalized After Alligator Bites His Face During Swim Near Tampa, 11-Foot Alligator Attacks and Kills Florida Woman, 85, Who Was Walking Her Dog, Florida Alligator Stuck in Pond with Her Mouth Taped Shut Is Rescued and Freed After 2 Months, Meet the Fla. Man Who Survived Days Lost in Swamp After Gator Took His Arm: 'I'm No Longer Afraid of Death', All About Kara Robinson, Whose Daring Escape from Captivity Led to Her Predator's Capture, Man Killed in Suspected Alligator Attack While Looking for Frisbees at Florida Park, Police Say, Firefighter-Paramedic Who Survived Alligator Attack in Fla. Lake: 'I Shouldn't Be Alive', Florida Man, 59, Killed in Car Crash After Colliding with 11-Foot Alligatorin Roadway, Fla. Man Attacked by 7-Foot Alligator Outside Motel After Mistaking It For a Dog, Man Helps Rescue 77-Year-Old Woman Attacked by Alligator at Retirement Community: 'He Saved Her', 'Really Brave' Girl, 10, Fights Off Shark That Almost Took Her Foot in Attack at Florida Beach, Florida Man Has Hand Amputated After Alligator Attack His Second Attack in 9 Years, 10-Year-Old Boy Still 'in Good Spirits' After Losing Part of His Leg in Shark Attack, Knife Attacker 'Neutralized' by French Police After Stabbing 6 People at Paris Railway Station, Mom of Boy Thrown Off Balcony at Mall of America Speaks Out, Passenger Who Fell Off Cruise Ship Was 'Dead Set' on Surviving 20-Hour Ordeal: 'My Worst Fear Is Drowning'. Merda said he walked for three days until he found a fence and saw a man who he asked to help. BENGALURU, INDIA An Indian engineer is learning the hard way that even after you have been mauled by crocodiles trying to rescue your pet, the government will still come after you for a payout.\r\rMudit Dandwate, 26, was visiting visiting a temple in a forest area called Ramanagaram in Bangalore with a friend and his two dogs Sunday morning, the Times of India reported.\r\rWhen the dogs decided to jump off into a lake.
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