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Motorcyclists Hospitalized After Striking 6-Foot Alligator on Interstate 4

The crash highlights the hazards posed by Florida’s 1.3 million alligators wandering onto busy highways during their June mating season.

An alligator put two bikers in the hospital when it crawled onto traffic on Interstate 4 near Orange City, Florida, the Florida Highway Patrol says. This is not the same alligator.
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Overview

  • Two motorcyclists—a 67-year-old man from DeLeon Springs and a 25-year-old woman from Orange City—hit the alligator just after 6 p.m. May 31 while riding westbound in the inside lane of I-4 near Orange City.
  • The man’s motorcycle veered into a wooded area and struck a tree, and the woman’s bike also left the roadway; both were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford.
  • Motorcyclist Cameron Gilmore suffered road rash and fractured bones in a foot but described himself as fortunate to have avoided more serious harm.
  • The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent a licensed trapper to capture the injured gator, and its ultimate disposition is being determined by the trapper.
  • Wildlife officials note that June mating season prompts increased alligator movements across roads, although collisions remain rare despite a statewide population of around 1.3 million.