A diver was left with horrific head injuries after being attacked by an alligator. WARNING: there's some pretty graphic injury images in this article, so if you'd rather not see them, click away now.
Jeffrey Heim, 25, was out searching for shark teeth in a river in Florida when the 9ft-long reptile pounced on him, grabbing his head between its powerful jaws.
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Heim told Fox : "I came up and I just get blasted by what felt like a propeller, like a boat going 50mph. It pulled me down with my mask off.
"You never understand the power of a wild animal like that until you're in its mouth."
The alligator bit down with such force that Heim needed 34 stitches in his head.
He continued: "I think my hand may have protected my face because I got a puncture wound in the top and a puncture wound in the bottom, but it just happened so fast there was no way I could have defended myself.
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"We just looked at each other and I didn't flail around because that would have just triggered its prey instincts even more.
"I was calm, thank God, so now I know how I react in a situation like that."
He believes the alligator may have been protecting her eggs.
The personal trainer says he was able to escape after moving backwards slowly, at which point the gator seemingly lost interest and left.
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With the alligator gone, Heim was able to make his way back to dry land where horrified onlookers called for help and he was rushed to hospital.
Posting on Instagram following the attack, Heim said: "Got bit in the head by a big gator while freediving for shark teeth in a river yesterday; I'm very lucky and blessed to be leaving the hospital and ICU today after 34 staples and a mild skull fracture."
Despite his gruesome injuries, Heim knows it could have been a lot worse and counts himself lucky that he survived the incident.
He told the news outlet: "I'm lucky it didn't death roll.
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"I'm lucky it didn't get an arm, or a hand, or my face, or my neck, or my leg, or literally anywhere else."
"I think he hit me right in the perfect spot. Someone was watching out."
Featured Image Credit: Fox 35Topics: US News