Florida swimmer fights off alligator in Lake Thonotosassa
A drone video taken over Lake Thonotosassa in Hillsborough County, Florida, shows a swimmer fending off an alligator attack. (Credit: Defeat X Adventure Co./LOCAL NEWS X/TMX)
Stunning video has emerged showing a man fending off an alligator attack while swimming in a lake outside of Tampa, Florida.
The drone footage depicting Juan Carlos La Verde wrestling with the alligator — which he tells TMX News was around 12 feet long — was captured on Aug. 3 at Lake Thonotosassa while he was shooting an instructional video for an upcoming event through his athletic company, Defeat-X.
"I was chomped down on this side, like completely," he told Fox13 Tampa.
The footage shows La Verde swimming from the left while the alligator approaches from the right. Once the two meet, a struggle ensues before La Verde switches direction and starts heading toward the shore.
The alligator, on the right, is seen approaching Juan Carlos La Verde in Lake Thonotosassa. (Defeat X Adventure Co./LOCAL NEWS X/TMX)
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The jaws of the gator came down on his head and upper torso. The attack lasted only seconds, but La Verde said he knew he would make it out alive.
"An unbelievable amount of faith in myself that I wasn’t going to die," he recalled. "I was going to be OK, but I needed to act for sure."
La Verde said he fought back by putting his hands in the alligator's mouth.
Photos show Juan Carlos La Verde before and after the alligator attack.
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"She let go, and she didn’t have to let go," La Verde said.
He immediately swam to a nearby dock. Pain hit once the adrenaline wore off and he was out of the water. La Verde was also reportedly losing a lot of blood.
Neighbors called for help, and he was taken to a hospital as a trauma alert patient.
Water can be seen swirling around in Lake Thonotosassa as La Verde collides with the alligator. (Defeat X Adventure Co./LOCAL NEWS X/TMX)
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La Verde is a U.S. Air Force veteran and an Oldsmar firefighter. He underwent six hours of surgery due to the alligator's bite that crushed his head, broke his jaw and damaged a facial nerve.
La Verde spent eight days in the hospital. He was discharged last week.
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