Florida woman swimming in river bitten on arm by alligator, taken to hospital

MARION COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida woman had a close call this weekend after a nearly 10-foot alligator bit her on the arm Saturday.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, a woman was swimming in the Silver River in Marion County when she was bitten on the arm by a 9-foot-8-inch alligator.

Good Samaritans at the scene were able to pull the woman from the water and bring her to shore. She was then taken to a hospital for treatment.

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Following the incident, Marion County Parks and Recreation closed the Silver River while FWC officers and a contracted nuisance alligator trapper worked to capture the alligator.

The Silver River reopened to the public Sunday.

According to WESH, the latest alligator attack comes amid several similar incidents reported across Florida in recent weeks. In late June, three attacks occurred within seven days, including a June 21 incident on the Rainbow River in Central Florida, where an 8-foot alligator bit a snorkeler who was later treated for his injuries.

This alligator attack also comes a month after a gator claimed the life of a 21-year-old Brittany Clark of Orlando back in July in Seminole County. The FWC said that Clark was in about 3 feet of water in the river near the Barr Street Trailhead in the Little Big Econ State Forest when she was attacked by the gator.

The FWC says alligator attacks in Florida are rare. Anyone concerned about an alligator can call the FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286.