A fossil hunter probably had the scare of his life on April 15 when he was attacked by an alligator.
William Georgitis was on his second dive of the day to collect shark teeth in South Carolina’s Cooper River. As he tried to return to the surface, a crocodile chased him.
“He headed straight towards me,” he recalled in an interview with The Post and Courier.
The animal quickly opened its mouth in his direction. Believing he was aiming for his head, William Georgitis protected himself with his right arm.
“The huge alligator grabbed his right arm as he tried to get to safety on his boat, then dragged him 50 feet to the bottom of the river,” said Laurel Black, a relative of the man, in a Facebook post made with the aim of raising funds for his operations.
Having a screwdriver on hand, he managed to free himself by stabbing the animal several times, according to the woman. When he reached the surface, his diving buddy helped him into the boat.
Transported to hospital, the fossil hunter underwent several operations to save his arm and will have to undergo others in addition to having to undergo rehabilitation.
The man also notified the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to alert them of the incident.
“SCDNR received a report of an individual receiving a non-fatal bite from an alligator while scuba diving on the Cooper River. Details are not available at this time and the incident is under investigation,” the organization said in a statement sent to The Post and Courier.
