A Florida couple’s romantic date night turned heroic as they saved a man who lost his arm in an alligator attack. Discover their brave actions and the dramatic rescue.
Florida, Bollywood Fever: A Florida couple’s romantic date night took an unexpected turn when they stopped to assist what they initially believed was a hit-and-run victim, only to discover the man had lost his arm in an alligator attack.
Ismael Rainey, 25, and his partner Kendall Hardester were driving home near Lake Monroe in Sanford around 1:30 a.m. when they saw a man lying motionless on a jogging path. Without hesitation, they jumped out of their car to help.
“We saw a guy lying on the side, covered in blood,” Hardester recalled. “He was missing his arm, and you could see the bone and flesh.”
The man, later identified as Dustin Crousser, 31, was a homeless individual who had taken a naked late-night swim in the alligator-infested lake. Hardester quickly improvised to help Crousser by using his towel to apply pressure to his severely injured arm until paramedics arrived.
“I just ran over and squeezed his elbow area as tight as I could,” Hardester told Fox35. Other passersby stopped to call 911 while Hardester continued to tend to the injured man. Paramedics soon arrived and transported Crousser to HCA Lake Monroe Hospital in critical but stable condition. Unfortunately, his arm had to be amputated from the elbow down.
Despite having no nursing experience, Hardester’s instinctive actions were driven by her desire to help. “At first, I thought he got hit by a car,” she explained. “Never would you think it was a gator, especially at that time of night.”
Rainey echoed the sentiment, describing the night as surreal. “You don’t expect to run into something like that, especially on a regular Saturday night.”
Hardester’s courage and willingness to assist in such a dire situation left a lasting impression. “If I came across a situation like that again, I would help,” she affirmed.
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