Trophy hunter’s bones are turned to ‘mush’ after an 11ft alligator he was trying to kill clamps down on his wrist and nearly drags him into the water
- Justin Perchalski, 30, was legally hunting in Palm Bay, Florida, Saturday night when he caught an alligator
- When the trophy hunter reached down to grab the line the reptile clamped down on his wrist and nearly dragged him into the water
- Three others in the boat held him down until the gator let go and he survived
- Perchalski was flown to the hospital where he underwent major surgery
- His brother says Perhchalski’s bones were turned to ‘mush’ by the gator’s grip
A trophy hunter is lucky to be alive after being attacked by an 11ft alligator that turned his bones ‘to mush’.
Justin Perchalski, 30, was legally hunting in Palm Bay, Florida, Saturday night when he caught an alligator, but when he reached down to grab the line the reptile clamped down on his wrist.
The gator nearly dragged Perchalski into the water, but three others in the boat held him down until the alligator let go.
Perchalski survived, but the bones in his wrist were ‘turned to mush’, according to his brother Ryan who helped pull him to safety.
Justin Perchalski, 30, was legally hunting in Palm Bay, Florida, Saturday night when he caught an alligator that clamped down on his wrist
The trophy hunter was nearly dragged into the water by the gator but his partners in the boat held him down until the reptile let go (pictured with a dead wolf)
‘Justin reached over the side of the boat to pull on the line, to bring the gator up, when the gator came out of the water, grabbing his right hand,’ his brother Ryan told Fox26.
‘The alligator made it about a turn-and-a-half with his hand in his mouth before he let go, which is kind of crazy, because typically they don’t let go.’
Perchalski took off his belt to use as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, then drove the boat back himself to the dock because the other three men were unfamiliar with the area.
He was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center and then flown to the Orlando Regional Medical Center where he underwent major surgery.
He is stable but has lost a radial bone in his forearm, Ryan says.
There is a possibility that the trophy hunter may not be able to regain full use of his injured right limb.
The attack came on just the second day of Florida’s alligator hunting season that runs through November 1.
Perchalski, who is an avid hunter, was flown to the hospital where he underwent major surgery. He’s pictured left with a slaughtered alligator
His brother says Perhchalski’s bones were turned to ‘mush’ by the gators grip (pictured with a dead boar)
‘The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was saddened to hear about this incident and sends well wishes to Mr. Perchalski and his family,’ they said in a statement.
Commission officials said the alligator will not be trapped.
‘I don’t think he’ll be doing alligator hunting much anymore,’ Ryan said of his bother.
‘You do it long enough, something like this is bound to happen,’ he added.
Social media photos show the 30-year-old has been a trophy hunter for quite some time now.
He’s posted photos posing with dead alligators, lying beside a slaughtered wolf while holding a gun and smiling in front of a deceased boar.