🚨 Horrifying Alligator Attack: Florida Woman Dies After a Tragic Encounter in the River
Clark, 31, had been hiking with her boyfriend and a friend on June 28 before stepping about three feet into the Econlockhatchee River, where the attack happened.
The Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office said the alligator grabbed Clark by the arm and began a ‘death roll’, leaving both of her arms close to being ripped off.
The report read: “Chance Allison [Clark’s boyfriend] grabbed the alligator trying to get it to release, when it took them both underwater releasing (Brittany) for a moment and then grabbing her other arm.”
The same move has been broken down in other wildlife explainers, including a crocodile death roll simulation that showed why the spinning motion can cause such severe injuries.
Why shallow water can still be dangerous
Clark was only a few feet into the river when the attack happened, which is why the case has drawn so much attention. Shallow water can feel safer than deep water, but it does not remove the risk when alligators are present.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission tells people to swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours, keep a safe distance from alligators, and keep pets away from the water’s edge, according to its alligator safety guidance.
Those details matter here because Clark and the others had been near the water after a hike, and her final concern was for Hokie, her German Shepherd.
Jayden Hernandez, Clark’s friend who was with her when the attack happened, said the group had even joked about a gator being nearby shortly before the animal struck.
In a Facebook post, Hernandez wrote: “There were air bubbles within our little triangle we made with our bodies in the water and I commented on how it might be a sneaky gator and Chance, Brittany’s boyfriend, swam right over it to show nothing was there, and nothing was there.”
After the attack, Clark’s boyfriend spoke about the last thing she said before she was pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at a hospital near Little Big Econ State Forest.
Speaking with the New York Post, he said: “While we were waiting for emergency services to arrive Brittany just told me to make sure I took care of Hokie [her German Shepherd]. I can’t recall anything else.”
He said: “She was the strongest and most outgoing person I’ve ever met in my 30 years of life. She loved her job where she operated a bulldozer running a dirt crew.”
“And loved going out on the water every chance she could.”
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Brittany Clark suffered severe arm injuries after an alligator attacked her in the Econlockhatchee River. A preliminary report into Brittany Clark’s death has revealed the terrifying way…