A man suffers horrific injuries while swimming for fossil shark teeth in the Myakka River in Florida. The nine-foot beast with its jaw was able to clamp around his head.
Man suffers horrific injuries after being mauled by a 9-foot alligator
Jeffrey Heim was searching for fossil shark teeth in the Myakka River in Florida when the nine-foot-long beast jumps out and its jaw clamps down around his head.
“It hit me twice, once here and once here and I think my hand might have protected my face because I had a puncture wound on the top [and] a puncture wound on the bottom,” Heim told Fox35 of the injuries he sustained from the animal.
The whole incident “happened very fast” and he couldn’t do anything to avoid it. Commented Heim, when I came up for air, I pulled my head out of the water, and that’s when he pulled my mask off.
“I reached over and got popped by what looked like a propeller from a boat going 50 miles an hour.”
“I was able to pull my head out of the water and that’s when the crocodile’s eyes met mine.”
“I didn’t tremble at all because it would have shot even more at its prey, we just looked at each other.” recalled Heim.
The alligator eventually lost interest in him and was able to return to shore. Heim says he was able to get hold of four people he was able to ask for help.
He also says that at one point he tried to always stay conscious.
“It’s very scary when you ask someone how bad it is and they hesitate and reassure you and you can hear in their voice if it’s worse than what they’re telling you,” he said.
He received 34 stitches and suffered a minor skull injury.
Heim remained calm and grateful about the whole terrible incident, knowing how he reacted in such a situation and learned a valuable lesson.
“Your life is worth more than any shark tooth or whatever it is to you; whatever you enjoy.”
