SILVER RIVER, FLORIDA, Aug. 13 (Our Florida Times) — Florida wildlife officials reopened the Silver River on Sunday after temporarily closing the Marion County waterway following an alligator attack that severely injured a swimmer and led to the removal of a 9-foot-8-inch alligator.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said an adult woman was swimming in the river on Saturday, Aug. 8, when an alligator bit her arm. The agency’s preliminary account did not identify the woman or provide details about her medical condition.
Family members and witnesses told FOX 35 Orlando that the woman suffered extensive injuries to her right arm. Her arm was later amputated below the elbow, family members said. Reports also described an injury to her left hand. The hospital that treated her was not identified.
How the rescue unfolded
Accounts from the woman’s family and witnesses said she was with other swimmers when the alligator approached. She tried to fend it off with a paddle before being pulled underwater, according to those accounts.
A nearby boater heard cries for help and moved toward the group. The approaching boat caused the alligator to retreat, witnesses said. The boater then used rope from the boat to help control the woman’s bleeding until first responders took over.
The injured woman and other swimmers were taken by boat toward a launch. She was then transported to a hospital. Her family later said she had been discharged and was recovering at home.
Reports differ over the rescuer’s name. Several accounts identify him as John Gamache, while FOX 35 identified the assisting paddleboarder as “Head.” The supplied agency information does not resolve the discrepancy.
Why the river was closed
The river was temporarily closed while wildlife officials and a contracted nuisance-alligator trapper searched for the animal involved in the attack. Officials captured and removed an alligator measuring 9 feet, 8 inches, according to the FWC and reports citing Marion County officials.
Marion County officials reopened the river to the public on Sunday, the day after the attack. The supplied records do not describe a separate public-safety assessment, additional restrictions or the animal’s final disposition.
An alligator removal after an attack is a wildlife-management response to a specific incident. The available information does not provide data on alligator numbers in the Silver River, the frequency of attacks there or any broader environmental or climate trend. It also does not establish whether the captured alligator was definitively confirmed as the one involved in the attack.
The FWC’s preliminary statement described the incident as an alligator bite involving an adult female swimmer. Details about the woman’s identity, the first responders and the medical treatment came from family or witness accounts rather than a publicly identified official incident report.
