Death struggle in the river

Man tells how he survived alligator attack

Will Georgitis with his bandaged arm after the alligator attack

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A man from the US state of South Carolina has narrowly survived an alligator attack. After the animal bit into his arm, it dragged the diver down around 15 meters. After the dramatic incident, Will Georgitis told a local daily newspaper how he still managed to escape the reptile.

"I was sure I was going to die," Georgitis told "The Post and Courier", describing the moment when he fought for his life with the animal on April 15. The man was searching for fossilized shark teeth in the Cooper River and had just surfaced because his oxygen tank was almost empty. When he reached the surface, he discovered an alligator swimming towards him. 

Counterattack with screwdriver was unsuccessful
Because he was afraid of being bitten in the head, he fended off the attack with his right arm. The animal finally bit into his forearm and pulled him to the bottom of the river, where it pinned him to the ground with its weight. Georgitis finally stabbed the reptile - he had a screwdriver with him to lever fossils out of the riverbed, which he could now use as a weapon. But the alligator would not let go of him.

Georgitis shows a fossil shark tooth that he had fished out of the river on the day of the attack.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

When the air in his oxygen bottle finally ran out, the man had already given up on life. However, he wanted to make one last attempt to free himself - even if it meant risking tearing off his own arm. He braced himself with both feet on the alligator and pushed off as hard as he could.

Wounds closed with "a ton" of staples
"I kind of ripped my arm out, but I didn't rip it off," Georgitis told ABC, surprised that he was still able to save his arm. He then swam to a friend's waiting boat, which took him to hospital. According to the victim, it took "a ton" of staples to close the wounds caused by the alligator's teeth.

The man now faces numerous operations and a months-long recovery process. But the US American is happy to accept that. "From now on, every moment is a blessing for me," said Georgitis.