ORANGE CITY, Fla. (WFLA) — In Florida, two motorcyclists are recuperating after colliding with an alligator that was positioned in the middle of a lane on Interstate 4 over the weekend.
NBC affiliate WESH spoke to Cameron Gilmore, who told them he was on I-4 in the Orange City area when he hit the gator.
“I noticed it about 10 feet ahead of me, and I knew right then that I was going to hit it,” recounted Gilmore. “The situation unfolded so fast that I didn’t even have a moment to react. There was no time to brake or anything, so I just braced myself.”
Once he hit the gator, he went flying.
“I was thrown over the handlebars and landed headfirst on I-4, rolling over,” he explained. “Witnesses mentioned I rolled two or three times before I finally came to a stop after sliding a long distance.”
Gilmore told the news station that he was traveling to Sanford with a group of riders, and many of them ran toward him after the crash.
“My right leg was real numb and hurt,” he added.
WESH reported that a 25-year-old woman from Orange City hit the gator after Gilmore.
Gilmore and the woman were both taken to HCA Lake Monroe Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Gilmore said that he is in good spirits and has every intention of getting back on his bike, despite a couple of broken bones and fractures.
“Nobody wants me to, but I, yeah, I will. I’m not scared,” he said.
WESH reported that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was dispatched to assist with the injured alligator. The gator’s condition is not known.
