The friend of a hiker mauled to death by an alligator while swimming in a Florida river has said they joked about “air bubbles” in the water before the 13-foot beast attacked.
Brittany Clark, 31, was killed during a trip with her boyfriend Chance Allison on Sunday as they went for a swim in the the Econlockhatchee River at Little Big Econ State Forest, Central Florida.
Officials have said Allison desperately tried to wrench Clark from the reptile’s jaws as it ripped her arms apart.
Clark’s pal Jayden Hernandez claimed that she went along for the trip to one of her friend’s favorite spots and “won’t EVER forget every detail of this scene.”
“Words can’t even explain how I feel. I lost my bestfriend. I lost my bestfriend right in front of me,” Hernandez wrote in an emotional Facebook post detailing the nightmare.
Hernandez said the trio had even joked about there being an alligator in the just 3 feet of “murky” water that they were standing in before disaster struck.
She wrote: “There were air bubbles within our little triangle we made with our bodies in the water and I commented on how it might be a sneaky gator and Chance, Brittany’s boyfriend swam right over it to show nothing was there and nothing was there.
“Britt literally commented on how she thought he was gonna act like he got attacked and we just laughed because chance would never do that because he’s an amazing person and I know he is because she chose him and only one amazing strong soul chooses someone just as strong as it’s own. It was just a joke…
“And just a few minutes later my bestfriend got attacked.”
Hernandez also revealed that the trio were accompanied by dogs “running up and out and around the water.”
She said that after being attacked, Brittany was “aware and literally yelling at chance and me what to do.”
“We called for help, and it felt like eternity talking to the dispatcher but it was only 12 minutes,” she wrote.
“12 whole long minutes of my bestfriend holding it together being the strongest person in the world.”
Paying tribute, Hernandez added: “I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone, my heart goes out to anyone that knew her because yall know that she was a beautiful unforgettable soul, and how much she left an impact on anyone she met, god.
“God rest her soul, she was pure gold.”
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson Chad Weber told reporters at a press conference on Monday that Brittany had passed away from her injuries on the way to the hospital.
“She was bitten on both of her arms,” Weber said.
“The boyfriend was the one that made the phone call. He was trying to get her from the alligator’s mouth, and on the way to the hospital she did pass away from her injuries.”
Weber said the investigation has found no signs that anyone acted maliciously toward the alligator in a way that would have provoked the beast.
He said other possible factors may have triggered the attack, including low water levels and territorial behavior.
Shocking audio from the frantic 911 call obtained by The Post revealed details of the horrific attack, with a woman describing Clark’s injuries as “horrible,” adding that “one of her arms is completely off and the other one is like attached barely.”
“Bad, real bad please, hurry… she’s losing a lot of blood… we need to stop the blood,” Allison could be heard saying in the call.
“Please hurry that’s my best friend,” a woman who took the phone told operators as she started to wail.
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