NEAR ORLANDO, Fla. (WSVN) — A Central Florida teen is sharing his story alongside his family as he continues to recover from an encounter with a rowdy reptile that sent him to the hospital.
Thirteen-year-old Gabriel Klimis said he was enjoying a swim in Winter Springs, located about 15 miles north of Orlando, until an alligator lunged at him, Tuesday afternoon.
“We’ve been in this creek a bunch of times, so no one thought anything of it,” he said. “I was going to get up, and the gator just started, like, pulling me back under and just jumped up and grabbed me.”
At this point, Gabriel said, he went into self-defense mode.
“I just started, like, hitting it in the head and let go, and then I just ran up on the sand,” he said.
Gabriel said the sudden attack freaked out his 10-year-old brother Judah.
“My first thought was like, ‘You’re gonna die,’ ’cause I’d never seen a gator bite happen in person,” said Judah.
The resilient teenager managed to flee the scene and promptly dialed 911 for help.
“I just got bit by a gator,” he told a 911 dispatcher.
“We were thinking the worst initially,” said the boys’ mother, Allison Klimis.
Allison snapped a picture of her upbeat son in the hospital.
However, it will take some time for the teen’s wounds to fully heal. His bandage extends from above the hip to the upper thigh.
“[The paramedics] told me, ‘We are going straight to Arnold Palmer [Hospital] with your son,’ and I said, ‘Oh, Arnold Palmer.’ I said, ‘OK, is it that bad?'” said Allison. “She said, ‘Look, do you want to see it?’ And then, as soon as I took one glance, I said, ‘To Arnold Palmer right away, let’s go.'”
A physician herself, Allison said she was startled by the message from paramedics.
“Huge concern for infection, we talked with infectious disease, and they said about 10 days until we’re out of the woods, just because of how deep the wound was and the creek water.” she said.
“The pain is kind of like just coming back a little bit more because I don’t have the pain meds or anything, but it’s not too bad,” said Gabriel.
Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said an eight-foot gator was caught Wednesday evening. They will continue to monitor the area.
As for Gabriel, his stitches should come out in a couple of weeks.
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