Man attacked by gator on Alligator Alley speaks about horrific encounter

On Thursday, WINK News heard from the man attacked in the water off of I-75 by an alligator that bit his torso and severed one of his fingers.

Victoriano Martin is home from the hospital and with 30 stitches to show for his battle with an alligator on Alligator Alley. He says he will never forget the moment the alligator grabbed him and began its death roll.

You don’t have to understand his words to hear Victoriano Martin’s panic, calling 911 in excruciating pain after the alligator grabbed him. Martin was with his brother and son along Alligator Alley picking palmetto berries, which is against the law. While picking the berries, Martin began to enter deeper waters.

“I only felt when the animal grabbed me and that was it; he took me under the water with him,” Martin said.

Martin says he really thought the was going to die, so his only option was to fight for his life. But he says the 9-foot alligator wasn’t finished with him and was coming back for more.

Martin’s brother had to stick his hands in the gator’s mouth to make the reptile let go. Martin’s 15-year-old son witnessed the whole attack and stayed by his side while waiting close to 25 minutes for first responders.

“It’s one of the most dangerous animals, so I thought it was my time. But, thank God, I’m alive,” Martin said.

Martin says besides the scars he also learned an important lesson about staying away from dark waters, because you never know what’s lurking below the surface.