A heroic Florida man managed to save his friend from an 11ft alligator by driving over it at speed.
Rick Fingeret was walking his two dogs by the lake on Quarry Drive, Collier County, on Friday night when the monster reptile surged out of the water, trapped his legs and began dragging him into the depths.
His neighbor, Walter Rudder, was driving down the road as the horror incident took place on Friday evening.
He told local media: ‘I was driving and we saw a man lying on the ground, waving his arm. We pulled over and I got out of the car and saw that an alligator had him by the leg.’
Thinking quickly, Walter ran over the alligator with his car, which forced it to release its grip on Rick’s legs: ‘We backed the car out, and I drove over the alligator. It got loose, let go of the leg and ran off towards the pond. Then [my wife] Paula, she called 911.
Rick Fingeret and Walter Rudder (pictured) were involved in the terrifying incident
Rick Fingeret was walking his two dogs by the lake on Quarry Drive, Collier County
Rick told a reporter he forced his fingers into the gator’s eyes and nose, and kicked it several times to free himself.
Walter added: ‘I got out of the car and I took my shirt off and wrapped it around his wound, which was near his thigh. The second wound was the calf area. He had two big dogs, which were labs, with him.
‘I took a leash off of the one labs and made a tourniquet out of it, and waited for the EMT to arrive. They finally did arrive which was great, and they did a wonderful job, and that’s what took place.’
Rick, who is currently recovering in hospital and hopes to be released soon, said his two Labradors never left his side during the entire ordeal.
Floridians have been forced to deal with more and more gator attacks in recent months, with experts warning residents that as mating season approaches, they may become more aggressive and less fearful of humans.
Rick (pictured) told a reporter he forced his fingers into the gator’s eyes and nose, and kicked it several times to free himself
Experts have warned residents that as mating season approaches, alligators may become more aggressive and less fearful of humans
The attack took place on Quarry Drive in Collier County
On Sunday, a Florida MMA fighter used his bare hands to subdue an eight-foot alligator that was crawling along the streets in Jacksonville’s Northside.
Mike Dragich, 34, known as the ‘Blue Collar Brawler, was at a nearby hockey game with his family when he received a nuisance alligator call from the sheriff’s department.
A licensed alligator trapper and military veteran, Dragich didn’t have his trapping equipment with him at the game, but he responded to the call anyway, driving to a local shopping plaza, where he saw the snarling creature.
A video taken at the scene shows the alligator lumbering across the road while the trapper walks behind it in pursuit.
Dragich could be seen stalking up behind the alligator before pouncing on its back and pressing down on its neck. The irate alligator’s jaws popped open, and it appeared to hiss.
The veteran then pressed the alligator’s head down, applying great force until the creature’s snout was flat on the ground.
Pulling the gator’s jaws up, Dragich deftly wrapped its mouth shut with a special tape.
After subduing the 8-foot giant, the ‘Blue Collar Brawler’ hoisted up the alligator and marched down the highway with the thrashing creature in his arms.