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Alligator attack on Florida mom sparks panicked 911 call: ‘Her arm is gone’
Newly released 911 calls capture the panic after an alligator attacked Dina Spann, 58, while she was swimming with a group in Florida’s Silver River. Spann survived but lost her right arm below the elbow and part of a finger on her left hand.
The attack happened near Ray Wayside Park in Marion County over the summer. A witness rushed to the swimmers by boat, and Spann was taken to hospital; she later returned home in good spirits. The article also notes other Florida incidents this year, including a child injured in an alligator bite and the October death of a 71-year-old man.
In short
- Dina Spann survived an alligator attack in Florida.
- She lost her right arm below the elbow and part of a finger.
- Newly released calls record witnesses’ urgent pleas for help.
Explained simply
Silver River is a waterway in Marion County, central Florida, where alligators live in the wild. Ray Wayside Park is a public access point on the river, and people use the area for swimming and other outdoor activities.
Florida is home to American alligators, which generally live in freshwater lakes, rivers and wetlands. Encounters can result in serious injuries, though attacks on people are uncommon; state wildlife officials advise keeping a safe distance and not feeding them.
The wider context includes several reported alligator incidents in Florida this year, involving both injuries and a fatality. These cases draw attention to the risks of sharing waterways with wildlife and to how people can use them safely.