Tonight on AC360: Teen survives gator 'death roll'
Kaleb Langdale, 17, lost part of his right arm, just below the elbow, during a struggle with an alligator in Florida. The attack from the 10-foot alligator happened in the Caloosahatchee River, where Kaleb and his friends were cooling off on a hot day.
The others watched as the alligator suddenly emerged from the bushes, dragged their friend under water and tore his limb from his body. One of the boys tried to warn him by shouting "gator," but Kaleb thought it was a joke until he was in its grip. "I knew it was either going to be the arm, or my life," he said.
By grabbing the skin under the animal’s jaw, Kaleb thought he could break free. When that didn't work, he tried to overpower the alligator by wrapping his legs around it. That maneuver didn't deter it, and the battle got more difficult, leading up to the bite that severed his arm.
The teen is now in the hospital recovering from surgery. His family started a fundraising campaign for a prosthetic arm to help Kaleb live life as he did before the incident.
Watch a preview of the interview, and hear more from Kaleb at 8 and 10 p.m. ET.
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Filed under: 360° Radar |
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You do wonder why anyone would go in a river in Florida. Sad fact is that the family "..started a fundraising campaign for a prosthetic arm.." instead of this being covered by a mandatory health insurance. It sounds so normal to us in the US that the family needs to beg for money to pay for necessary medical procedures.
The kid has nobody to blame but himself for diving in a river WELL KNOWN for having alligators. I don't blame the gator for doing what gators do.