Alligator attack leaves 11-year-old boy without dominant right hand

An 11-year-old boy is recovering at home in Pennsylvania after an alligator attack in Florida that resulted in the amputation of his right hand, according to his family. (WESH via CNN Newsource)

MARION COUNTY, Florida — An 11-year-old boy is recovering at home in Pennsylvania after an alligator attack in Marion County that resulted in the amputation of his right hand, according to his family.

Brodie and his father were fishing two weekends ago at Nelson’s Fish Camp near Umatilla when the attack happened. The family was visiting from Pennsylvania.

Andrew Wright, one of Brodie’s relatives, said the two were aware of their surroundings.

“They did see alligators in the area. Nothing that was close to them at all, and nothing that was of concern to them,” Wright said.

But that quickly changed as Brodie was putting a fish back in the water that he had just reeled in.

“The gator came out of nowhere. They didn’t ever see it,” Wright said.

The alligator grabbed Brodie by the arm, and his dad jumped on it, hoping to pry its mouth open.

“When he did that, the gator did its roll, and it broke pretty much every bone in Brodie’s lower arm, severing part of his hand,” Wright said.

At the hospital, doctors had to amputate Brodie’s right hand, which Wright said is his dominant one when playing sports like baseball and football.

“Everything that he knew, doing everything with his right hand ... [he] can’t do that anymore. Physically and emotionally, it’s going to be a very long road for him,” Wright said.

Despite what’s ahead, Brodie remains in good spirits, as shown by his smile in photos taken after the attack. Wright said the overwhelming support the family has received on social media has helped. A GoFundMe for Brodie and his family had already raised more than $17,000 in donations, as of Monday evening.

“It’s not going to be a short-term thing, so the more help, the better,” Wright said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it captured and killed the nearly 9-foot alligator believed to be responsible for the attack.