Like a good neighbor, Walter Rudder is there.
Rudder, a resident of Collier County in Florida, was driving down the street when he noticed a commotion. His neighbor, Rick Fingeret, was in distress near a lake by the side of the road.
Fingeret had been walking his two dogs by the lake when something came surging out of the water. That something was an 11-foot alligator.
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Florida Man Runs Over Alligator
Rudder came upon the scene which involved his neighbor, his legs trapped in the jaws of the reptile, close to being pulled back into the lake.
“I was driving and we saw a man lying on the ground, waving his arm,” he told a local media outlet. “We pulled over and I got out of the car and saw that an alligator had him by the leg.”
Rudder knew he needed to do something and do it quickly. Fingeret reportedly begged him to use the only alligator-fighting tool he had – his vehicle.
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Hailed As A Hero
Rudder hopped back into his truck and the Florida man quickly put the plan into action. Operation “Rock the Croc” was in full effect. (We made that up.)
“We backed the car out, and I drove over the alligator,” he explained. “It got loose, let go of the leg, and ran off towards the pond.”
Rudder said his wife then called 911.
Rudder has been hailed a hero in several media outlets for taking action to save his neighbor. However, the true hero might be his Goodyear tires. Or Michelin.
The Florida man subsequently took further action to save his neighbor, making a tourniquet out of one of the dog leashes.
EMTs would then arrive and take it from there.
Always nice to see a “Florida man” story that ends happily. Great work, Walter!
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