A Florida man who misplaced an arm after an alligator bit him whereas making an attempt to pee exterior a bar says it’s “not the end of the world.”

A neighborhood NBC affiliate recognized Jordan Rivera as the person in query. Rivera reportedly misplaced his proper arm early Sunday morning behind Banditos Bar in Port Charlotte, Florida.

The 23-year-old in some way remained optimistic concerning the incident regardless of shedding an appendage, he tells the outlet.

“I was just trying to go over there and take a little pee and whatnot,” he mentioned. “I didn’t lose my life,” Rivera informed NBC2. “I lost an arm. It’s not the end of the world…”

Rivera continued: “These gators, I didn’t really perceive them till I awakened within the hospital and, ‘Oh, gator got your arm.’”

The reptile responsible for the limb-tearing bite was a whopping 10-foot-5 inches long. It has since been taken from the pond and euthanized as per Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission protocol.

Gator Bit Off Man’s Proper Arm Simply Above Elbow, Recollects Shaky Reminiscence Of Incident

In the meantime, the outlet experiences that Rivera carried out the NBC2 interview simply 1.5 days after shedding the arm.

The gator bit off his proper arm simply above the elbow, practically killing Jordan. However, he added, he can “still move my arm around and whatnot.”

“They got my elbow. So, I don’t have an elbow,” Rivera mentioned. “I can still move my arm around and whatnot.”

He informed the outlet of what he remembered from that morning. After noticing the toilet strains at Banditos had been too lengthy, Rivera walked to the pond out again to alleviate himself.

“So I ended up walking over to the water hole, I didn’t realize how big it was at the time, as I was going over there something happened where I either tripped or the ground below me just went down,” Rivera mentioned. “I ended up in the water. And that’s literally the last thing I remember.”

Rivera says the following factor he remembers is being within the hospital, the place he was informed the gator had taken his arm.

Rivera’s Mom Thanks Bar Patrons For Speeding To Jordan’s Support In Alligator Assault

He described the feeling of being armless and known as your entire state of affairs “almost out of a movie.”

“It kind of feels like my arm is just there, but not there,” he mentioned. “It was just the craziest thing. It’s almost out of a movie.”

In the meantime, his mom, Teresa Lessa, informed the community that it was “very traumatic” however added, “he’s (still) here.”

“That’s the best thing, is that I have him. Yes, arm gone, very traumatic. But he’s here,” Teresa Lessa mentioned.

Lessa thanked the bar patrons, like Manny Hidalgo, who jumped into motion upon listening to Rivera scream.

“I call them angels, that were there, that saved his life,” Lessa mentioned. “The chance of someone being there with a tourniquet, to me, it’s a miracle that he’s here.”

Some Accuse Rivera Of Making an attempt To Feed Alligator, Rivera Denies Allegations

Whereas many in Florida admire Rivera’s resiliency, others have accused him of making an attempt to feed the alligator.

Rivera categorically denied feeding the gator on the time of the assault.

“That is completely not true,” he mentioned. “They don’t even serve food at that bar, so I couldn’t have even served the gator food.”

These curious about donating to Rivera’s GoFundMe account can achieve this right here. Over 90 donors raised $13,955 out of a $50,000 purpose as of this text’s publication.