Both the male driver in Florida, USA, and the alligator died after the accident.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Florida, said the accident happened on the night of March 24 when John Hopkins, 59 years old, was driving and he hit a 3.3-meter (11-foot) alligator lying on the road. The crash knocked Hopkins’ car off the road and overturned in a nearby ditch.
A passing driver noticed the incident and called 911. When police arrived at the scene, both Mr. Hopkins and the alligator were dead.
It’s not clear where the alligator came from, but the accident scene is more than 3 kilometers from Alafia River State Park, where alligators often roam.
The two states of Florida and Louisiana have the most alligators in the US, of which Florida alone has up to 1.3 million wild alligators in all 67 counties, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The longest alligator in the state is about 4.5 meters (15 feet).
