90-Year-Old Florida Loses Leg In Alligator Attack

A 90-year-old Florida woman had part of her leg amputated after an alligator chomped down on it in her front yard Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. The surprise attack happened around 12:30 p.m. when the reptile emerged from a canal and sunk its teeth into Margaret Webb's left leg, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. The extensive injuries forced doctors to sever the leg below the knee, officials said. Several bites were also found on her right leg, but were not as severe. The elderly woman's son, Jack Webb, and a passerby, Dwain Daniels III, aided her after the attack and dragged her back into her Copeland, Fla., home. The son told WPTV 5 News in West Palm Beach that his mother was placed in a coma so doctors could operate. There is concern about infection, he added, because alligators are known to have large amounts of bacteria in their mouths. Daniels had a low-powered rifle at the time of the attack and said he shot the alligator through the right eye. "They'll need to get down to that dam because he'll be floating tomorrow," he told WPTV 5 News.