STUART NEWS (Florida) 26 April 06 Fort Pierce man attacked by alligator (Ed Killer)
Florida: Well-known retired Fort Pierce charter boat captain and singer songwriter Sam Crutchfield was attacked by an estimated 12-foot long alligator Monday while fishing in Lake Istokpoga near Sebring.
Crutchfield, 67, was wade fishing the lake in waist-deep water with longtime friend David Putnam of Sarasota for over three hours when he was suddenly grabbed on his right hip by a submerged alligator.
"It's all a blur," said Crutchfield. "The absolute second I was grabbed, I balled my fist and swung down hitting the gator about in the eye, I think."
The bite was centered on his heavy canvas fishing shorts and the teeth did not break the skin. However, the pressure of the bite left a large bruise on his hip and rear end. Since he was not bleeding, he reported the attack to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and then drove himself home over an hour to his personal physician Dr. Sherrod Hayes in Fort Pierce.
Crutchfield had a tetanus shot and is on antibiotics to guard against infection.
"I've spent my entire life fishing, hunting and frog gigging on lakes in Central Florida and have only had a few close encounters with gators," he said. "There are so many gators out there right now that people better really be careful. There is a clear and present danger."
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/fishing_and_boating/article/0,2820,TCP_24440_4652408,00.html

WKMG (Orlando, Florida) 26 April 06 Alligator Bites Golf Ball Diver In Florida
Boynton Beach, Fla. (AP): A diver hired by the city to retrieve golf balls from a lake was attacked by a 9-foot alligator that bit the man's arm, authorities said.
Stephen Martinez, 43, of Coral Springs, was treated at a hospital for injuries similar to a dog bite, said Palm Beach County sheriff's Lt. Rolando Silva.
"It's serious, but certainly not life-threatening," he said.
Martinez was under murky water at The Links golf course when a group of golfers heard him yell for help, said course manager Dan Hager.
The alligator apparently bit Martinez's air tank and tried to pull him under the water. Martinez grabbed a utility knife strapped to his dive suit and tried to stab the animal. That's when it bit his arm, Hager said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was investigating.
The alligator was trapped and will have to be euthanized, commission spokeswoman Dani Moschella said.
http://www.local6.com/news/9007660/detail.html