Florida swimmer’s arm ripped off by alligator in gruesome attack that left ‘bones poking out’ — before being saved by good Samaritan

A Florida swimmer had her arm ripped off by a 10-foot alligator — a vicious attack she wound up surviving thanks to a fast-acting boater who scared the beast away.

The woman was on a paddleboard in the Silver River in north-central Florida when the gator grabbed her by the arm and pulled her underwater, despite her trying to push it away with her paddle, FOX35 reported.

Miraculously, John Gamache was eating lunch on his boat and, upon hearing the woman’s family’s cries for help, he sped toward the group.

John Gamache, a good Samaritan who helped save a woman from an alligator attack, is pictured on Saturday on the Silver River. WOFL

The gator attacked occurred while the woman was on a paddleboard in the Silver River in north-central Florida. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“I looked just upriver from us a couple hundred feet and saw an alligator head way above the water and going full speed towards the swimmers,” he told FOX35, recounting Saturday afternoon’s terrifying incident.

The noise of the boat scared the gator away, but the victim was losing blood fast, Gamache recalled.

“It was a terrible injury, bones poking out, blood everywhere. Obviously, the minutes mattered,” he said.

Gamache used a rope from his boat to tie off the wound while his father helped the remaining swimmers and children in the water get onto the boat and back to shore.

First responders rushed the victim to a nearby hospital and, on Sunday, her family confirmed that she has been discharged and is resting at home, as they thanked Gamache for his swift actions.

“They called earlier, and we talked for a while, and it was heartwarming to hear them explain their emotions,” Gamache said.

“We’re glad that it happened as good as it could have. Like the result is just the sustained injury and nothing more,” he added.

Gamache said he had never seen an alligator attack in the area, despite being a lifelong visitor to Silver Springs.

Following the incident, Silver River was temporarily closed while a trapper worked to yank the 9-foot-8-inch alligator from the water, according to Marion County officials.

The river was reopened to the public on Sunday.