Watch This Livid Alligator Attack a Truck and Rip the Bumper Clean-Off

Key Points

• Between 1948 and 2004, there were 376 injuries and 15 deaths reported in the United States as a result of encounters with alligators.
• The alligator caused an estimated $1,000 of damage to the truck’s front bumper.
• Alligators can run faster than you can so if you encounter one, it is best to slowly back away.

This is going to take some explaining at the garage later. In the clip below, we get to see an alligator rip the front bumper from a man’s truck. Related media reports name the man as Keith Carmouche and the incident occurred when he was driving through tall grass in the Avoyelles Parish of Louisiana. Instead of steering around it, he inched towards the reptile. He mistakenly thought that the animal would back up and run away. But it stood its ground and caused an estimated $1,000 of damage to the truck’s front bumper. Carmouche even had to risk getting out of the truck to retrieve the bumper pieces.

Do Alligators Attack Humans?

Yes, they do. What’s more, there is evidence that the number of alligator attacks is increasing. Between 1948 and 2004, there were 376 injuries and 15 deaths reported in the United States as a result of encounters with alligators. The increase is thought to be caused by humans encroaching more on alligator territories. A follow-up paper recorded 567 reports of adverse encounters with alligators with 24 deaths reported in the United States from 1928 to January 1, 2009.

Shocking individual reports are also published including one of the death of an 85-year-old woman following an alligator attack in Florida.

What You Should Do if You See an Alligator?

Most alligator attacks are defensive but they are opportunistic carnivores and will eat most animals that are presented to them. The best advice it to keep away from them.

However, most incidents happen because the person came across the alligator by surprise. If you are already less than half of its body length away from it, you are in trouble. This is striking range for a gator. Some will give a warning hissing sound.

The best advice is to back away slowly and then run. Alligators can run faster than you can (up to 35 miles per hour) but only for short distances. Hopefully, they will tire and give up. We need to learn how to co-exist safely with these animals and the majority of alligators are not nuisances.

Watch The Startling Footage Below!