A South Carolina man said he's thankful to be alive after a gator attack almost killed him last week in the Cooper River.
William Georgitis, of West Ashley, South Carolina, told local media that the alligator bit his arm just after he surfaced on April 15 after looking for fossils in the river.
"As soon as he saw me, he launched himself out of the water. I mean he was coming at me, almost hydroplaning on the top," Georgitis said. "He was so determined to get there."
Georgitis explained that he put his arm up to block the attack and the alligator grabbed hold of it. Knowing the gator would probably try a death roll, Georgitis bear-hugged it with his arm and legs.
While he was close to the animal's face, he started stabbing the gator in the eye with a screwdriver, which he had with him to dig out fossils. "When I did that, he shook me like a ragdoll. Threw me off of him- I grabbed ahold of him because I didn't want him to roll again," he said.
From there, things just got worse. The gator, which still had Georgitis's arm in its mouth, swam to the bottom of the river, which Georgitis estimates was about 50 feet.
Feeling the water pressure and knowing his oxygen tank was empty, Georgitis figured he was about to die, so in a last-ditch effort, he tried to rip his arm off.
"I wrenched back as hard as I could trying to rip my arm off at the elbow. And I got out. I don't know how," he said. "I just thought that I tore it off and when I got back to the surface, it was flopping down hanging like a wet noodle. The guy in the boat dragged me. I couldn't pull myself up."
Fortunately, doctors were able to save Georgitis's arm. However, Georgitis said have any insurance, but will soon launch a Go Fund Me page to try to raise money to help cover medical bills.
Because the area he was diving is a popular spot for divers, he's warning others to be cautious about other gator attacks.
"This gator is extremely aggressive and he's right there where everybody else dives. It's a well-known spot and this thing is huge. He didn't even take a second to attack me. He was on me as soon as he saw me. Whoever else is out there diving please be careful," he said.
