A hero trucker who ran over an 11ft crocodile which had his neighbour in its jaws was "in the right place at the right time."
Walter Rudder was driving back home when he saw the beast dragging his neighbour, Rick Fingaret towards a lake by his leg. Without hesitation, Walter leapt into action, moving down the deadly reptile until it released his pal.
Rick's brush with death happened while he was out walking his two dogs near the lake in Quarry Drive, Collier County. It was then that the alligator pounced.
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Walker told NBC-2 in Florida: "We saw a man lying on the ground, waving his arms. We pulled over, and I got out of the car and saw that an alligator had him by the leg.
"It was dragging him into the pond."
He told Wink News: "We backed the car out, and I drove over the alligator. It got loose, let go of the leg and ran off towards the pond. Then Paula (his wife) called 911.
"I got out of the car and I took my shirt off and wrapped it around his wound, which was near his thigh. The second wound was the calf area."
Walter described the incident as "alarming."
He added: "He had two big dogs, which were labs, with him. I took a leash off of the one labs and made a tourniquet out of it, and waited for the EMT to arrive. They finally did arrive which was great, and they did a wonderful job, and that’s what took place.”
The alligator was later removed from the area by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission while Rick was taken to a nearby hospital to treat his injuries.
Rick later thanked his neighbour and friend for his selfless actions stating he wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him being in the right place at the right time.
Neither of the dogs were harmed during this scary altercation, though Walter recalled that they both stayed by his neighbour's side during the terrifying attack.
FWC said the incident is a reminder that alligator mating season is starting soon, a time when the reptiles may become more aggressive and less fearful of humans.
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