A DAY IN NATURE TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE… – A hiker has tragically l0st her life after an alligator attacked her while she was swimming in a river, leaving witnesses in shock.
A woman who was killed by an alligator while bathing in a river on a hike was an ‘amazing’ person who loved being in water, her partner has said.
Brittany Clark, 31, died after wading into the Econlockhatchee River in Florida, US, to cool off while hiking with her best friend and boyfriend.
The three were three feet deep in the water when an alligator bit her arms, tearing off one and mauling the other.
Her boyfriend, Chance Allison, called 911 for help around 1.30pm and told the operator: ‘Both her arms, both her arms, both her arms are off, like, basically.’
When asked to provide more detail, Allison added: ‘One of them is, like, very hanging on [by a] thread, and the other is… gone.’
The alligator did a death roll after biting Clark on the arms (Picture: Getty)
Screaming was heard in the background of the harrowing 911 call before Clark’s boyfriend and friend carried her to rescue workers.
Clark was pronounced dead before she reached the hospital for treatment.
Allison said his partner was ‘such an amazing and caring person and didn’t deserve to go out in such a way’.
She loved going into the water ‘every chance she could’, and Allison said they could have never seen this nightmare coming.
It’s currently alligator mating season in Florida, and the creatures are known to be more aggressive during this time.
The medical examiner’s report reads: ‘While they were swimming, an alligator grabbed [Brittany] by her arm and began the “death roll.”‘
This is a manoeuvre in which alligators grip hold of their prey and spin their body to kill them.
‘Her boyfriend, Chance, grabbed the alligator trying to get it to release her when it took them both underwater.’
Clark’s brother, Nick, told local news: ‘She was an amazing person; she was nice and helpful with anyone who needed any kind of help.’
Clark, from Orlando, loved the outdoors and often wakeboarded and dirtbiked in Florida.
Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission said that after the attack, two alligators were culled.
Their remains will be tested to see if they are related to the attack.
