Florida kayaker suffers 8-inch leg gash from gator attack

A man who went duck hunting in the Everglades on Friday afternoon did not expect his trip to end in the hospital.

Krit Krutchaiyan was kayaking in the water when an alligator brushed up against him and attacked, he told WFOR in an interview.

He initially thought the sensation was a tree branch, until the gator grabbed and bit his leg, WFOR reports.

Krutchaiyan attempted to scare the gator off with his paddle but the gator followed as he backpedaled toward his hunting partner, according to WFOR.

"I remember seeing the alligator coming towards me again and my partner shoved my kayak in between the alligator and myself and I think if he hadn't done that, the alligator would've gotten another bite," Krutchaiyan said to WFOR.

To stop his leg from bleeding, Krutchaiyan tied his belt around the wound and was taken to Broward Health Medical Center.

Krutchaiyan suffered a six to eight-inch cut in his leg from the gator bite, which went all the way to the bone, WFOR reports. He told the news station that he will need plastic surgery on his leg, but he is expected to make a full recovery.

As for returning to the Everglades, Krutchaiyan said he's never going back.

"I won't go into the water and wade because you can't control what you can't see," Krutchaiyan told WFOR.

Read full story at cbsmiami.com