Drone Captures Alligator Crushing Florida Man's Skull, But He's Alive!

There are miracles and then there's Florida man JC Defeats living to tell the story about how he survived an alligator crushing his skull while a drone in the sky caught the footage on film.

The 34-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran turned firefighter, was swimming in Lake Thonotosassa on August, 3 where he was shooting an instructional video for his job when he came face-to-face with the alligator, but JC couldn't see the gator because he wasn't wearing his swimming goggles.

"I always preach mitigated risk, and that day I failed, and it went completely out the window," Defeats told Fox 13. The drone was recording when the estimated 12-foot gator swam right at Defeats and it was bad news from there. "I was chomped down on this side, like completely," JC recalled.

In an interview with WESH, Defeats described the feeling of the attack as "the equivalent of a telephone pole" hitting his face. "Then because of my stroke, I felt the scales, then I felt the teeth, so I knew what I was in,” he added.










So how did he get loose as the gator was crushing his skull for several seconds? Defeats says he stuck his hands in the gator's mouth and went after the teeth. There was a roll and "she let go."

The damage was done:

• Crushed skull

• Broken jaw

• Damaged facial nerve

• Punctured brain
















Now out of the hospital, JC has a strong message for those who are looking for vision in life. "I’m asking you to be tough because the world is a really difficult place, and, man, is it challenging to maneuver without God and ultimately Jesus Christ in your heart," JC told Fox 13.

As if that wasn't a strong enough message, he added this during his interview with WESH.

“The story is about a miracle and also a call to action," he told viewers. "Find the joy, however that looks like to you, that’s my challenge to you find it.”

 







Written by
Joe Kinsey is the Senior Director of Content of OutKick and the editor of the Morning Screencaps column that examines a variety of stories taking place in real America. Kinsey is also the founder of OutKick’s Thursday Night Mowing League, America’s largest virtual mowing league. Kinsey graduated from University of Toledo.