New details from a preliminary report on the death of a Florida woman say an alligator carried out a “death roll” on the 31-year-old before pulling her underwater in the fatal attack.
Brittany Clark, 31, had gone hiking with friends on June 28 and entered the Econlockhatchee River to cool off, wading only a few feet from shore when the incident happened near the Barr Street Trailhead in Little Big Econ State Forest, northeast of Orlando.
According to officials, Clark, her boyfriend Chance Allison and a friend were swimming in shallow water when the attack took place. Wildlife officials said the group had been in roughly 3 feet of water at the time.
One of the friends who was there, Jayden Hernandez, later said the group had even made light of the idea that an alligator could be nearby shortly before Clark was attacked.
Writing in a Facebook post, she said: “There were air bubbles within our little triangle we made with our bodies in the water and I commented on how it might be a sneaky gator and Chance, Brittany’s boyfriend, swam right over it to show nothing was there, and nothing was there.
“Britt literally commented on how she thought he was gonna act like he got attacked and we just laughed because he would never do that because he’s an amazing person.”
Officials with the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office have since published an initial report, which states that the alligator first clamped onto Clark’s arm and then began the spinning maneuver known as a “death roll”.
The report said Clark’s boyfriend tried to fight the animal off and pull her free. It says the alligator pulled both of them underwater, briefly let go of Clark, then grabbed her other arm before finally releasing her.
The report also said Clark’s boyfriend grabbed the alligator in an effort to get it to release her, but the pair were pulled underwater during the struggle.
Wildlife officials later trapped and killed two large alligators in connection with the attack, including one measuring about 12 feet and another about 13 feet. Bite marks on Clark’s left arm were reportedly consistent with one of the recovered animals, and investigators said DNA testing was being used to confirm which alligator was responsible.
The “death roll” is a behavior in which an alligator bites onto prey and spins forcefully in the water to overpower or tear apart its target, according to the National Institute of Health.
Although fatal encounters with alligators are uncommon, attacks can and do happen. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials say serious injuries from alligators are rare, but they continue to urge people to stay away from the water’s edge, avoid swimming in areas where alligators may live and never feed them.
After the attack, Allison spoke publicly about the last thing Clark said before she was taken to a hospital near Little Big Econ State Forest, where she was later pronounced dead.
Speaking with the New York Post, he said: “While we were waiting for emergency services to arrive Brittany just told me to make sure I took care of Hokie [her German Shepherd].
“I can’t recall anything else.”
He also reflected on her personality and the life she loved.
He added, in an interview with FOX 35: “She was the strongest and most outgoing person I’ve ever met in my 30 years of life. She loved her job where she operated a bulldozer running a dirt crew. And loved going out on the water every chance she could.”