Miss Fidget.com

Wow, this is one of the most intense animal attack stories I’ve ever read, and I’m still looking for the best, most inclusive account. Though he first asked Fillipino Low Country Dancers for help, the actions of 5 nurses picnicking with their church probably saved Mr. Hedden’s life. The gator was found by simply following a “trail of blood” to a giant reptile with a human arm in its mouth. Alas, the latest reports are that the arm can not be reattached. Above photo is of a random South Carolina alligator. Photos below the headline are from the scene of the attack. Good Luck Mr. Hedden, may you thrive, heal, and make a fortune selling your story. There are no recorded death’s by gator in SC, yet.

Alligator Takes Man’s Arm Off
Monday, Sep 17, 2007 - 11:12 AM | By WCBD-tv - Charleston

A man is in critical condition after a 12-foot long alligator attacked him at Lake Moultrie. The attack happened around 3:30 Sunday afternoon. Officials say 59-year-old Bill Hedden of Summerville was snorkeling alone at the time.

Jerome Bien was dancing with members of a Lowcountry Filipino group by Lake Moultrie when an unexpected emergency interrupted the afternoon.

“Just flopped himself down right here,” Bien said pointing to a spot by a picnic area. “He was blue, he was conscious. He was talking. ‘Call my wife, call my wife,’ and he gave us the number.”

Bien and other witnesses say a man stumbled ashore after a 12-foot alligator ripped off his arm while he was snorkeling alone in the lake.

“We thought he was just kidding and then I saw that the arm was gone completely and he was really bleeding profusely. We had a lot of ice because we were doing a picnic. We put the ice in the bag and put it right in the arm and put pressure on it.”

But perhaps the most horrifying sight was the 600-pound alligator clenching the man’s missing arm.

“The gator was right here with the arm in his mouth right here,” Bien said as he pointed to the water’s edge.

Officials with the Department of Natural Resources shot the alligator several times and had to open its stomach to retrieve the arm. Emergency crews then transported the victim to MUSC by helicopter. DNR followed with his arm shortly after.

Officials at MUSC are not allowed to say if doctors were able to re-attach the victim’s arm, but they do expect him to remain in critical condition until Monday afternoon.

It’s an attack DNR officials say is extremely rare, even though the presence of alligators in the area is not.