US teen attacked by 10-foot alligator shares survival story: 'I just started punching it in the head'

The teen said the alligator bit her leg, dragged her underwater, and began shaking her violently. (File photo: AFP)

A 15-year-old girl in Florida has made headlines for her bravery after surviving a terrifying attack by a 10-foot alligator by "punching" the reptile "in the head". The incident, which occurred on June 22, saw the teenager, Summer Hinote, emerge with injuries but alive, the New York Post reported.

According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Hinote was swimming when she "felt something brush up against me." What followed was a brutal encounter. Hinote told FOX 35 that the alligator bit her leg, dragged her underwater, and began shaking her violently.

Refusing to succumb, Hinote instinctively fought for her life. "I just started punching it in the head as hard as I could," she recounted. Her desperate struggle momentarily caused the alligator to release its grip, only for it to seize her again. "And the second time that he let go and grabbed me, he had drug me underneath the water. And he like shook my leg around."

Despite the renewed assault and the terrifying experience of being submerged and thrashed, Hinote maintained her composure. She described how, when the alligator released her for a second time just to get a better grip, she seized the opportunity. "Whenever he let go, I had started running up. And I had gotten up out of the water," she said. With the crucial assistance of a friend, Hinote was finally able to break free from the alligator's control and escape the water.

She suffered severe injuries, but it did not need to be amputated, officials said.

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