Teen Uses Discovery Channel Tip To Escape Alligator Attack

Local 6 (Florida) ^ | July 23, 2006

[Stoat]

Teen Uses Discovery Channel Tip To Escape Alligator Attack

Mom: Tip To Poke Eye With Thumb Saved Son's Life

 

POSTED: 9:29 pm EDT July 23, 2006

UPDATED: 9:58 pm EDT July 23, 2006

 

DELAND, Fla. -- A 16-year-old being dragged into a Central Florida lake by a large alligator used a tip he watched on the Discovery Channel to break free and likely save his life, according to a Local 6 News report.

Corey Workman was in a remote area of the St. John's River in Volusia County, Fla., just before midnight Saturday, throwing rocks and sticks into the water. Authorities said a 6- to 8-foot-long alligator jumped out of the water, grabbed Workman's left foot and dragged him into the lake.

 

 

  "He struggled with the alligator but could not get free until he remembered something he saw on the Discovery Channel about what to do if you are getting attacked by an alligator," Local 6 reporter Deborah Garcia said.

Workman poked the alligator in the eye with his thumb as he was told to do on the television show. His mom said the lesson of poking at the alligator's eye saved her son's life, Garcia said.

"If he was every bitten by a shark, he (learned) to put his hand in its gills and if he was ever attacked by a gator, to take his thumb and poke his thumb all the way in his eye and the gator released him," mother Elisa Badger said. "Thank God he was able to maintain his composure and not panic. He knew exactly what to do." "Everyone is calling teenager Corey Workman a very lucky young man today," Garcia said.

Trappers were trying to capture the alligator Sunday night. Workman remained in Florida Hospital Deland but could be released as early as Monday.

[mrsmel]

What, no 60' anacondas? Kid stuff! ;)

[thegreatbeast]

Corey Workman was in a remote area of the St. John's River in Volusia County, Fla., just before midnight Saturday, throwing rocks and sticks into the water. Authorities said a 6- to 8-foot-long alligator jumped out of the water, grabbed Workman's left foot and dragged him into the lake.

Methinks one sentence follows the other for a reason.

[Stoat]

hehehe...I'm sure he's going to do all his drinking by the Dairy Queen now like everyone else ;-)

I'm sure you're right....at the Dairy Queen, the main example of dangerous fauna will be the Doublebreasted Bedthrasher.....but they can have pretty sharp teeth on occasion as well.  And they don't go for the leg, they go directly for the wallet.   :-)

[Luke Skyfreeper]

I must confess that I was quite taken with the Louisiana gator, but it may have just been the sauce.

You know what they say... "The secret's in the sauce!"

[cyborg]

LOLOLOLOL

[D1X1E]

Corey Workman was.......throwing rocks and sticks into the water.

....at the gator. That's the part he didnt tell Mom.

[dalereed]

" they will spoil the local cuisine"

Is the local cuisine alegators or yankees?

[Stoat]

Is the local cuisine alegators or yankees?

Well, in the parts of Louisiana and Florida that I've visited it's been gators, but who's to say what goes on in some of the more remote regions......

[eyespysomething]

Wonder if the same method would work on Democrats. Someone please try it and report back ;-P

LOL!

[Stoat]

You know what they say... "The secret's in the sauce!"

<<< phoning Jack In The Box to suggest that they add "Gator Sandwich with Secret Sauce" to the menu.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Gotta agree. Gators generally eat prey that's much smaller than they are; people are too big (but not feet, hands, heads.) Crocs generally eat prey bigger than they are; hippos, buffalo, people, gators, etc.

[RouxStir]

I had an alligator jump out of the water chase me once. Thank God it only had 3 legs. I hadn't realized that I had walked between the gator and her nest.

[Stoat]

I had an alligator jump out of the water chase me once. Thank God it only had 3 legs. I hadn't realized that I had walked between the gator and her nest.

Lawd, you have definitely got a Guardian Angel looking out for you...

[RouxStir]

"I had an alligator jump out of the water chase me once." Damned thing wouldn't give up either!

[HannagansBride]

So the kid will probably get in trouble for poking the alligator in the eye.

No doubt, it's a violation of the Endangered Species Act.

[Stoat]

Damned thing wouldn't give up either!

They'll let anybody at all sell Avon nowadays, won't they?  Or is that a Democrat political candidate doorbelling your neighborhood?  :-)

[Stoat]

So the kid will probably get in trouble for poking the alligator in the eye.

PETA will issue a press statement saying that although they are delighted that the boy survived, this is an example of how humans are destroying the animals' habitat and the very best thing that we can all do is immediately commit suicide.  Republicans first, of course.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I grew up in Central Florida in the 1950's and '60's. We used to swim in lakes with alligators 30 feet away from us.

I remember those days. I visited my grandparents living in Lake Wales every summer of my childhood. In fact, I learned how to swim in Lake Wales and Lake Walk-in-the-Water.

[Atlas Sneezed]

If I'm in the same boat someday, the headline will be "Man uses Free Republic Tip to Escape Alligator Attack."

(Actually, it would be "thumb tip".)

[Defiant]

Trappers were trying to capture the alligator Sunday night.

Look for the one with one eye!