Alligator attacks in Beaufort County happen, but fatal attacks are rare. Here’s a look

Although South Carolina is no stranger to attacks by alligators, an attack Monday in Sun City is believed to be the first fatal alligator attack in Beaufort County in nearly four years.

Here is a list of other recent attacks:

October 2021

A 70-year-old man was working in his yard near the edge of a pond on a Sun City golf course when an alligator attacked him. The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on a Monday.

The man sustained “fairly serious” injuries to his legs and arms, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources spokesperson David Lucas said.

The man was freed after a neighbor, who was playing golf nearby, noticed the unfolding incident, was able to come to the man’s aid and “get the alligator off of him,” Lucas said.

The hero was able to help his neighbor by hitting the alligator on the head with a golf club.

Only two alligators were known to be in the pond, Lucas said. Both were removed following the attack.

September 2021

An alligator attacked an elderly woman walking her dog on a Thursday morning in the Hilton Head Island gated community of Hilton Head Plantation.

The woman was found lying near a lagoon with a leg injury following the attack, police said.

The lagoon was located on Rookery Way, which bordered the Hilton Head Island woman’s backyard. She was walking her dog by the lagoon when she was attacked by the 8-foot gator, the DNR’s Lucas said.

A neighbor attempted to free the woman, then called out to her husband for help. The neighbor’s husband was able to set the woman loose after “whacking” the alligator on the snout.

The injured woman was hospitalized; her dog was not injured.

The gator was euthanized.

July 2020

A 75-year-old Callawassie Island woman was attacked on a Friday night by a 10-foot alligator.

The woman was trimming plants near the edge of a pond in a gated community when the alligator latched onto her leg and pulled her into the water, Lucas said.

At the time, a man was passing by on a golf cart and saw the woman in obvious distress in the pond. During his attempt to rescue her, the alligator briefly pulled both of them underwater until it let loose. They resurfaced, and the man pulled the woman back onto land, according to previous reporting by the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.

The woman had several fractures to her leg and some “pretty bad” lacerations, said Lucas. She underwent several surgeries.

The 10-foot alligator was later removed and euthanized.

August 2019

A 68-year-old woman was hospitalized following an alligator attack in the gated community of Sun City.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office reported that the attack happened around 10 p.m. on Landing Lane.

The woman told authorities she was bitten by the alligator while walking her dog between two houses about 25 yards away from a pond on Landing Lane inside the gated community. Following the attack, officials said the dog ran away and was not injured. Some of the woman’s injuries were described as serious, according to previous reporting.

The alligator was reported to be between 8 to 9 feet. A nearby alligator matching the description of the one that attacked the woman was removed and euthanized following the incident.

November 2018

A fatal alligator attack occurred in the gated community of Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island on a Monday morning.

A 45-year-old woman died after the alligator pulled her and her dog into a lagoon. The victim was identified as Cassandra Cline, a resident of Sea Pines. She was killed while trying to save her dog.

When Hilton Head Fire Rescue arrived, the alligator was in the water circling the body. First responders were able to lasso the alligator and bring it ashore, Lucas said.

“The alligator grabbed the leash instead of the dog,” S.C. Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Regional Coordinator Sam Chappelear said at the time. “There was some sort of tug-of-war with her trying to get the dog back via the leash, and in turn, the alligator drug her and the dog into the water.”

The woman and her dog were reported to have been “very near” the edge of the lagoon.

The dog was not injured.

The alligator believed to be responsible for the attack was reportedly 9 feet in length. It was caught and euthanized following the incident, Chappelear said.