Teen escapes alligator attack in creek near Pensacola

PENSACOLA Fla WSVN A teen who narrowly escaped an alligator attack in a creek near Pensacola is recounting the terrifying moments -year-old Summer Hinote was spending a day at the creek with friends when an alligator latched onto her leg back on June Summer announced they were walking downstream in waist-deep water and what all started as a normal day briskly turned into a nightmare Me and my two friends decided to walk downstream and we were about a good mile downstream she reported Summer had turned around to head home when she was suddenly attacked I felt something latch onto my leg and I didn t know what it was at first so I just turned my body around and started punching it in the head she stated That something was an alligator It had like let go and then grabbed again and then dug me underneath the water and then shoot me around revealed Hinote Summer eventually broke free and her friend grabbed and pulled her to safety after which she mentioned instinct took over I hit the ground I like laid down on the ground because I couldn t like run for real and I just started praying she announced My friend he came up to me and I was like are my legs still there and he was like yes you re like you re fine its not that bad Despite escaping gator s grip Summer stated it continued to follow her We have to get up he s like coming out from behind you she disclosed So he had to pick up me and my other friend because my other friend was freaking out and run up the bank and because its higher than the rest and the gator cannot really climb up so he had to pick both of us up at the same time and run up there Her friend then ran to his phone this instant and contacted Summer s mother I get a phone call because one of her friends made it to where they had provision Summer s been bit by an alligator all I needed to her I left just like I am right now jumped in my truck announced Shree Hinote Summer s mom pulled her into the truck bed and raced to meet first responders Based on the size of the bite agents estimate that the alligator was around -feet long People were saying that we were provoking the gator which was not true at all because it snuck up from behind me and none of us even knew that he was there mentioned Summer Growing up surrounded by nature Summer maintains that she knows better We would never mess with it because we know the dangers and what he could do she declared And now she has the scars to prove it The family says the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have trapped three gators in that creek so far but none have been big enough to have been the one that attacked summer