An avid South Carolina fossil hunter found himself in the fight of his life last month as he ended up with more than he bargained for on one faithful dive.
Descending into the Cooper River like he’d done many times before, it wasn’t long before William Georgitis was met by what he believed to be a 7 or 8 foot alligator. The large reptile grabbed a hold of the diver, death rolled him and eventually pinned him to the muddy bottom of the river. Without any air left in his tank, Georgitis fought back using the only weapon he had available to him: his trusty screwdriver.
“It’s a well-known spot and this [alligator] is huge,” he told KRQE News. “He didn’t even take a second to attack me. He was on me as soon as he saw me. Whoever else is out there diving please be careful.”
Recounting the story, Georgitis said he spotted the gator from about 20 feet away before the reptile instantly closed the distance and mounted its attack. Using his arm to shield himself, the alligator clamped down as Georgitis attempted to put the animal into a headlock with his free arm. As the two became entangled, the gator descended, bringing his victim to the bottom of the river. It was at this point that Georgitis reached into his belt for his hand tool in a last-ditch effort to save his own life.
“I got my screwdriver that I use on the bottom of the river, and I stabbed him in the eye,” Georgitis said. “And when I did that, he shook me like a ragdoll.”
The battle continued in the deep recesses of the river as Georgitis continued to stab at the animal. As he was nearing complete exhaustion, and likely death, he summoned all of his strength and tore his arm away from the deathly grips of the alligator and quickly ascended to the surface.
“I just thought that I tore it off and when I got back to the surface, it was flopping down hanging like a wet noodle,” Georgitis said of his arm.
He was spotted by his diving partner as soon as he hit the surface of the water and was immediately transported to the hospital for emergency surgery. According to a Facebook post, even though his ulna had been snapped in half and his radius badly fractured, doctors were able to save his arm and hand after multiple procedures.
While he is on the mend, the post mentioned that he undoubtedly has a long way to go in terms of his recovery. A GoFundMe has been set up to help offset the medical costs as a result of his surgeries and on-going treatment.
