A triathlon coach fought off an alligator after the animal attacked him while he was swimming in a river during race training.
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Jonathan Bruney, 31, was training in the Savannah River in Augusta, Georgia, on Sunday when the terrifying encounter unfolded.
Bruney was swimming alongside several other athletes preparing for an IRONMAN event when he suddenly felt something grab his right arm.
He quickly realized that a four-to-five-foot alligator had locked its jaws around him.
Triathlon Coach Fights Back During Alligator Attack
Knowing he needed to react quickly, Bruney targeted the alligator's eye with his thumb before managing to wrestle himself free.
"I immediately thought, 'I need to get this off of me' because I didn't want him to spin or death roll and do even more damage," he said.
"I just knew the eyes were what you should target. I put my hand on the snout, reached up and pushed my thumb into his eyeball. And he released."
One athlete swimming ahead of Bruney had reportedly spotted the alligator near the riverbank and moved farther away from the edge.
Seconds later, Bruney felt a "pretty big impact" on his right side.
He compared the initial sensation to hitting his elbow against a hard surface, similar to diving onto a basketball court in a gym.
At first, Bruney thought he had simply struck a log. It quickly became clear that something far more serious had happened.
Fellow Athletes Rush to Help Injured Coach
Bruney then felt a "cold pain" shooting through his arm as the severity of his injuries became apparent.
"I could see some commotion in the water in front of me but didn't think nothing of it," fellow athlete Matthew Davis said. "I sighted again, and I could see they were climbing up onto a dock, and that was not normal."
"I got to the dock, climbed up on it, and he just said, 'Jonathan's been bit'".
Bruney was in shock and bleeding heavily from a deep wound that later required a medical procedure.
Fortunately, Davis is a wilderness first responder and immediately stepped in to help.
"I told him, 'It's gonna hurt,'" he described. "I squeezed as hard as I could, and I could watch the bleeding stop as we applied the tourniquet."
None of the athletes had phones with them, forcing the group to seek help from people living along the riverfront.
They eventually flagged down a man walking his dogs, who called 911.
"Once again, it could have been a lot worse," Bruney said. "I guess I won the alligator lottery."
Despite the frightening encounter, Bruney still intends to compete in the IRONMAN event. For now, doctors have told him to stay out of the water for three to four weeks while his injuries heal.
