Orange City – Two motorcyclists crashed into a six-foot crocodile in the middle of one of Florida’s busiest highways, sending both bikers to hospital with injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening, authorities said.
Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Taracresenzi said in an email on Monday on Saturday evening, when a 67-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were riding a group of motorcyclists on Interstate 4 near Orange City.
This effect caused both motorcyclists to escape from the highway, causing a man’s motorcycle to crash into a tree. Both riders were taken to a nearby hospital, Kresenzi said.
“I’m blessed, I was protected,” motorcyclist Cameron Gilmore told Orlando’s television station WKMG. “I remember one of my friends swinging around. I watch him swing around. The gator looks like ten feet in front of me.”
Gilmore had a rash on the road and a broken leg.
Orange City is about 30 miles northeast of Orlando, and the speed limit for its highway range is 60 mph. Interstate 4 extends across central Florida from Tampa to Daytona Beach.
Florida wildlife officers were called to catch injured crocodiles. A spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee on Monday did not respond to an investigation seeking information on the condition of the gators.
Crocodiles are found in all 67 Florida counties, with the state’s population of around 1.3 million. Despite these numbers, the Wildlife Commission says that injuries from crocodiles are rare.
