Hero trucker mowed down 11ft alligator to rescue neighbour from its jaws

A heroic trucker who encountered an 11ft crocodile attacking his neighbor believes he was "in the right place at the right time."

Walter Rudder was on his way home when he witnessed the crocodile pulling his neighbor, Rick Fingaret, toward a nearby lake. Without hesitation, Walter sprang into action, intervening to release his friend from the jaws of the dangerous reptile.

Rick's near-death experience occurred while he was walking his two dogs near the lake in Quarry Drive, Collier County. That's when the crocodile attacked. Walker recounted to 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 informed 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 in 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 one of the 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 relocated after the incident

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission later removed the alligator from the area, while Rick was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Rick later expressed gratitude to his neighbor and friend for his selfless actions, stating he wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Walter being in the right place at the right time.

Fortunately, neither of the dogs was harmed during this frightening incident, although Walter recalled that they both remained by his neighbor's side throughout the attack.

FWC emphasized that the incident serves as a reminder that alligator mating season is approaching, a time when the reptiles may become more aggressive and less wary of humans.