Florida teen was caught in alligator's jaws but refused to surrender — her brave response defied the odds
When we find ourselves in the face of danger, how we respond makes a massive difference. A 15-year-old girl named Summer Hinote was stuck helplessly when an alligator attacked her in Pond Creek, Destin, Florida, per WEAR News. While every passing second meant more damage and danger to the teenager, she decided to put up a courageous front and give it her best shot to defend herself. Her brave actions brought her time, which was followed by a rescue. A report from The Western Journal stated that the 15-year-old and a friend decided to take a walk downstream, where they were waist-deep.
Before they could return, Hinote found herself around something suspicious. She realized something was brushing up against her in the water and instantly knew it wasn't safe. "I had felt something latch onto my leg," the girl added. There was not much time to run or react, so she had to give her best defense even though she didn't know what she was dealing with at first. She turned and began attacking the unknown creature by punching it repeatedly, the girl told CBS Miami. She soon learned it was an alligator that had gotten hold of her, but that didn’t stop her from putting up the best fight she could. "It had let go and then grabbed again," the girl recalled.
The second time, the creature ferociously dragged her and pulled her into the water. But even then, she refused to give up. She had gotten quite a bit of damage to her leg but luckily her attacks helped and she was able to get free from the jaws of the alligator. In the nick of time, her friend grabbed her out of the area and the duo got away from the alligator. She had no idea what exactly had happened to her and feared the worst. "I hit the ground. I lay down on the ground because I couldn’t run for real and I just started praying,” the teenager recalled. When she caught sight of her friend, she was terrified and asked whether she even had a leg.
"He said, 'You’re fine, you’re fine. It’s not that bad but we have to get up, he's coming up from behind you," Hinote recounted. Turns out, they weren’t completely out of danger yet and the creature was still making his way to them. Hinote’s friend grabbed her and the other to get to higher ground. "He had to pick both of us up at the same time and run up there,” she explained. Shree, Hinote’s mum, was notified about her daughter and she rushed to her truck and dialed 911.
She arrived at where her daughter and friends were and immediately took the 15-year-old to the first responders. Luckily, the girl can keep her leg but has several cuts. "People were saying we were provoking the gator, which is not true at all. Because it snuck up from behind me and none of us even knew that it was there,” Hinote explained. Speaking about her situation, the mother-daughter duo is grateful to God for having saved her. "Tell me about another person who was dragged under by a gator that didn’t roll with it. That’s not luck,” the mom remarked. “God is the one that’s got you,” Hinote added.