84-Year-Old Describes Surviving Alligator Attack While Walking Her Dog: 'Didn't Have Time to Think'
Del Boppel, of North Fort Myers, Fla., was hospitalized after the encounter last week
An 84-year-old Florida woman is recalling the terrifying moment an alligator attacked her while she was walking her dog last week.
"It was like a torpedo,” North Fort Myers resident Del Boppel told local TV station WBBH. “I didn't see anything go that fast in my life. I didn't have time to think.”
The encounter happened around 8:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 5, when Boppel set out to take her dog for a walk, like she normally does, according to WBBH.
However, she also got a bit closer to the pond near Julia Mobile Home Park than she usually does — and that’s when the attack happened.
"All of a sudden, I had a premonition, I'm telling you," Boppel told the news station. "It was like, 'Uh-oh.' ”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Boppel threw her shih tzu named Queen into the air, she said, and then punched the gator square in the face.
The animal drew back and bit her in the leg and hand before it relented, she said.
Related: Man, 79, Attacked by Alligator While on Early Morning Walk at Florida Country Club: 'I’m Bleeding'
Boppel was transported to the hospital where she is doing "okay," her daughter told local TV station WINK.
Neighbors in the community heard the octogenarian scream and called 911. They say the alligator has been a frequent fixture in the area, WINK reported.
“The gator is in my side yard all the time,” one neighbor told the station. “There’s one, and then there’s a little, a smaller one, but this was the bigger one.”
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson said in a statement to PEOPLE that they were able to trap and remove the 7-foot, 3-inch gator after the attack and relocated it to an alligator farm.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
