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Man bitten by alligator while diving for golf balls

Rescue crews load a man in his 50s into an ambulance Friday afternoon after he was bitten by an alligator while diving for golf balls in Rotonda West.
Rescue crews load a man in his 50s into an ambulance Friday afternoon after he was bitten by an alligator while diving for golf balls in Rotonda West. Charlotte County Fire & EMS

A man who was diving for golf balls at a Rotonda West golf course was bitten by an alligator Friday afternoon, according to the Charlotte County Fire & EMS.

The man, who is around 50 years old, was underwater in a pond at the Rotonda Golf & Country Club when he told officials he felt a bite on his left arm, according to fire department spokeswoman Dee Hawkins-Garland.

He was able to free himself and officials responded to the scene around 1 p.m., according to Hawkins Garland.

The injury was deemed a trauma alert, so he was flown to Lee Memorial Hospital.

The identity of the man wasn’t immediately known.

Hannah Morse: 941-745-7055, @mannahhorse

This story was originally published July 7, 2017 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Man bitten by alligator while diving for golf balls."

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