A nine year old boy from Florida fought off an attack from a vicious alligator, and regaled the incident from his hospital bed looking pretty relaxed.
James Barney Jr sat up in bed with his Superman bedsheets, and told reporters how he was taking a bike ride when he decided to swim in a restricted area of Lake Tohopekaliga in Florida – and an alligator grabbed him from behind.
James looked pretty proud of himself as he told his audience that he hit the alligator “hard a couple of times” before prising the jaw from around his legs.
When the alligator, weighing nearly 400lbs, let go of his leg, James swam to shore calling for help. He was pulled from the water and an ambulance was called.
Speaking to the Orlando Sentinel, Public Information Officer Sandra Ramirez said James was lucky to have only received “superficial marks” and escaped any serious injuries.
As for the one tooth stuck in his leg?
James wanted to keep it, to make a necklace he could show his friends.
“The tooth is pretty big. I wanted to keep it but animal control came in and took it so they could find the alligator that attacked me.”
In hindsight, being on national TV and escaping an alligator attack will probably impress them enough.
Video via Orlando Sentinel
