A preliminary investigation into the death of a Florida woman has revealed that she was attacked by an alligator, which performed a ‘death roll’ on the 31-year-old before tragically severing both of her arms.
Brittany Clark was enjoying a paddle just three feet into the Econlockhatchee River on June 28. This followed a hike with friends when she decided to take a dip to cool off, which led to the tragic incident.
Jayden Hernandez, a friend who was with her during the attack, recounted that they had jokingly mentioned the possibility of an alligator being present in the water. Unfortunately, soon after, the animal attacked and fatally injured Clark.
In a heartfelt Facebook post, Hernandez shared: “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.”
The Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office has published its preliminary findings on Clark’s death. The report indicates that the alligator grabbed her by the arm and initiated the ‘death roll.’
The report detailed: “Chance Allison [Clark’s boyfriend] grabbed the alligator trying to get it to release, when it took them both underwater releasing (Brittany) for a moment and then grabbing her other arm.”
The alligator continued with the ‘death roll’—a maneuver where the predator clamps onto its target and spins violently in the water, aiming to subdue or dismember it, as explained by the National Institute of Health.
Although alligator attacks are rare, they do occur.
Following the tragic event, her boyfriend, Chance Allison, shared Brittany’s last words before she was declared dead at a nearby hospital in the Little Big Econ State Forest area.
In an interview with the New York Post, he revealed: “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.”
Speaking further in an interview with FOX 35, Allison added: “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.”