Hero neighbor saves friend from certain death by driving over 11ft alligator that had clamped onto his legs and was dragging him by the feet into a pond

A heroic Florida man managed to save his friend from an 11ft alligator by driving over it at speed after it clamped down on his leg and nearly dragged him into a lake. 

Rick Fingeret was walking his two dogs by the lake on Quarry Drive, Collier County, on Friday night when the monster reptile surged out of the water, trapped his legs and began dragging him into the depths. 

His neighbor, Walter Rudder, was driving down the road as the horror incident took place on Friday evening. 

He told local media: 'I was driving and we saw a man lying on the ground, waving his arm. We pulled over and I got out of the car and saw that an alligator had him by the leg.'

Thinking quickly, Walter ran over the alligator with his car, which forced it to release its grip on Rick's legs: 'We backed the car out, and I drove over the alligator. It got loose, let go of the leg and ran off towards the pond. Then [my wife] Paula, she called 911.

Rick Fingeret and Walter Rudder (pictured) were involved in the terrifying incident

Rick Fingeret was walking his two dogs by the lake on Quarry Drive, Collier County 

Rick told a reporter he forced his fingers into the gator's eyes and nose, and kicked it several times to free himself. 

Walter added: 'I got out of the car and I took my shirt off and wrapped it around his wound, which was near his thigh. The second wound was the calf area. He had two big dogs, which were labs, with him. 

'I took a leash off of the one labs and made a tourniquet out of it, and waited for the EMT to arrive. They finally did arrive which was great, and they did a wonderful job, and that’s what took place.'

Rick, who is currently recovering in hospital and hopes to be released soon, said his two Labradors never left his side during the entire ordeal. 

Floridians have been forced to deal with more and more gator attacks in recent months, with experts warning residents that as mating season approaches, they may become more aggressive and less fearful of humans. 

Rick (pictured at a previous event) told a reporter he forced his fingers into the gator's eyes and nose, and kicked it several times to free himself

Experts have warned residents that as mating season approaches, alligators may become more aggressive and less fearful of humans

The attack took place on Quarry Drive in Collier County 

On Sunday, a Florida MMA fighter used his bare hands to subdue an eight-foot alligator that was crawling along the streets in Jacksonville's Northside. 

Mike Dragich, 34, known as the 'Blue Collar Brawler, was at a nearby hockey game with his family when he received a nuisance alligator call from the sheriff's department.

A licensed alligator trapper and military veteran, Dragich didn't have his trapping equipment with him at the game, but he responded to the call anyway, driving to a local shopping plaza, where he saw the snarling creature.

A video taken at the scene shows the alligator lumbering across the road while the trapper walks behind it in pursuit.

Dragich could be seen stalking up behind the alligator before pouncing on its back and pressing down on its neck. The irate alligator's jaws popped open, and it appeared to hiss.

The veteran then pressed the alligator's head down, applying great force until the creature's snout was flat on the ground.

The number of attacks in Florida has increased by 66 percent in recent years, from six a year between 1971 and 1986, to 10 a year between 1987 and 2017

The death of homeless Florida woman Sabrina Peckham , is the latest in a string of alligator attacks across the USA this year

Alligator encounters and attacks have increased in recent years across the US, especially in Florida and South Carolina

Pulling the gator's jaws up, Dragich deftly wrapped its mouth shut with a special tape.

After subduing the 8-foot giant, the 'Blue Collar Brawler' hoisted up the alligator and marched down the highway with the thrashing creature in his arms.

Although there has been an increase in some areas, alligator attacks in the US are still relatively rare and only a fraction of them are fatal.

Florida is known to be the home of alligators - over the last 10 years it has averaged eight fatal bites per year.

However, the number of attacks has increased by 66 percent in recent years, from six a year between 1971 and 1986, to 10 a year between 1987 and 2017.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) keeps a record of 'unprovoked bite incidents' - between 1948 and November 2021, there were only 442 attacks, 26 of which resulted in human fatalities.

303 people received major injuries and 139 suffered minor injuries over this time period.

The likelihood of a Floridian being seriously injured as the result of an unprovoked attack is roughly one in 3.1 million, according to the FWC.

Experts say the recent spike is due to the drive throughout the state in recent decades to push construction developments and population - causing an inevitable increase in interactions between people and gators.