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.

[Stoat]

I think that I'll try shooting it in the eye first, but you've got to make do with the tools that are at hand in such a situation.

It's nice to know that watching TV occasionally has some benefits.

[BookaT]

Shoot, I learned that from Happy Gilmore!

[stboz]

In this kind of fight, the loser has to provide lunch......

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

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

[zot]

Bump a brave and quick-witted young man.

[Stoat]

In this kind of fight, the loser has to provide lunch......

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

[JohnBovenmyer]

Poke halfway down. Works on both Clintons, but alas not on Gore or Kerry.

[stboz]

Too damn many Yankees in Florida....ruins the taste.

[Stoat]

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

I certainly hope that it does...I'm in the People's Republic of Washington and they have had their evil, smelly, sharp teeth around our throats for decades  (sigh)

[Flavius]

yup sharp stick to the eye or this

[Dustbunny]

Very lucky young man !!!!

[hodaka]

I wonder if the Discovery channel also show that the best way to defend yourself against someone breaking into your house is to shot them between the eyes.

[Stoat]

Too damn many Yankees in Florida....ruins the taste.

As a 'damn Yankee' I will mention that to any friends who indicate an interest in visiting the Great State of Florida...another hazard of getting your leg chewed off by a gator is that they will spoil the local cuisine   :-)

[stboz]

Touche!

[Brad from Tennessee]

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. You would see their eyes and nose in the water. They never bothered us and we never had any fear of them. In those days there was an industry in alligator hides and the population stayed down. Gators normally are scavengers and eat dead fish and animals. If the meat isn't rotten enough they bury it in the mud or hide it in a nest until it cures. In the '70's, the human population grew and at the same time they declared gators endangered. Alligators began to multiple. Their sources of food got stretched and they began coming out of the lakes killing dogs and cats. Then they began attacking people.

[Ainast]

Its taught me how to defend against global warming


hehehe lol


another thing, whats up the the alligator's. I thought crocidails(sp?) were supposed to be the mean ones.

[Stoat]

I wonder if the Discovery channel also show that the best way to defend yourself against someone breaking into your house is to shot them between the eyes.

I'm guessing that the Libs at the Discovery Channel wouldn't approve of such an effective solution to the crime problem   :-)

[Ciexyz]

Glad this story had a happy ending.

[Hand em their arse]

Call me skeptical, but 16 yrs. old, and just before midnight on a saturday night and he's throwing rocks and sticks into a lake???

My take on the evening, is after he and a couple buddies were on the tail end of a case of Bud, they thought "Let's go f**k with that gator and throw some rocks at it..."

[fso301]

I always like people able to maintain presence of mind an emergency. Likewise, I have little regard for those unable to act instinctively in an emergency.

Hopefully, two years from now, this young man will be able to enter the military and serve under the command of a capable successor to our present Commander in Chief.