Terror in Florida: Grandmother Survives Brutal Alligator Attack After Heroic River Struggle

Dina Spahn, 58, was attacked by an alligator in Silver River, Florida, in front of her family. Bystanders stopped the bleeding with an improvised tourniquet, and she was rushed to the hospital, where her right arm was amputated below the elbow. Her son recounted her heroic struggle, and surfer Mike Hedd said he tried to push the reptile away. Guarino blames tourists who feed alligators and calls for more hunting permits.

Last Saturday, Dina Spahn, 58, was attacked by an alligator while swimming in Silver River, Florida, in front of her terrified family. Bystanders, including surfer Mike Hedd, rushed her onto their boat and used the top of her bikini and an anchor rope as an improvised tourniquet to stop the heavy bleeding from her right arm. Spahn, a grandmother whose grandchildren were nearby, was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries. During the struggle, the animal bit the tip of her finger, and later doctors had to amputate her right arm below the elbow. Her son, Zack Guarino, a 38-year-old carpenter and father of five, recounted the moments of horror: "It was a crazy situation and she was the calmest one there, with her arm hanging by a thread." He added: "She didn't just let it happen. She tried to keep its mouth shut, swim up to get fresh air, and prevent it from biting her legs." Guarino blames tourists who pet and feed alligators against the law, and calls on authorities to issue more permits for hunting large reptiles. In June, a 31-year-old woman was killed by an alligator attack in a nearby river, and an 11-year-old boy lost his hand. Last Sunday, trappers from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) captured an alligator about 2.95 meters long and removed it from the river.