Some states have to keep an eye out for deer in the road. Others have to watch out for raccoons. Here in South Florida, we need to worry about alligators.
A mother of four escaped serious injuries when her SUV hit a 9-foot alligator crossing Interstate 75 near North Port Tuesday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release that 34-year-old lawyer Jennifer Rosinski of Cooper City lost control after hitting the gator, sending her Ford Escape into a counter-clockwise spin before overturning at least a half-dozen times. She somehow escaped only with bruises and a cut under her right eye.
The alligator wasn't so lucky and the Ford Escape was totaled in the accident.
Lt. Gregory S. Bueno says that crashes involving alligators are rare along that stretch of I-75 in southwest Florida.
Rosinsky couldn't believe it. She first thought a fox had run in front her vehicle.
She said: "I've never been in a significant accident before, and the first one I'm in is car vs. alligator!"