WATCH: Florida woman in recovery after fighting off alligator attack

TAMPA, Florida (KMID/KPEJ) – A Florida woman is recovering after being bitten by an alligator. Rachel Thompson is getting around her yard with crutches now, a vast slowdown from her normal active lifestyle.

On July 4, Thompson decided to go for a quick swim after a run. She checked the water, didn’t see and movement, didn’t seen any bubbles from any alligator, and went in.

“As soon as I saw his head appear in the dark water, from nowhere, it was next to my leg,” Thompson said.

The gator grabbed her leg and she fought, hitting it in the nose.

“Because most people that end up minimally lose a limb,” she said.

She managed to escape and pull herself up her dock. A friend took her to the hospital where they performed emergency surgery, saving her leg.

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