Family of grandmother, 85, who was dragged to her death by 10ft alligator as she walked her dog SUE retirement village she was living at with claims ‘they knew about’ lurking predator

The family of a grandmother who was dragged to her death by an alligator has sued the retirement community where she lived, claiming they knew about the lurking predator.

Gloria Serge, 85, died after the 10-foot alligator mauled her and dragged her into a lake as she tried to rescue her beloved dog, Trooper, from the reptile’s clutches in 2023.

She was living at the Spanish Lakes Fairways retirement community in Fort Pierce, Florida, last February when tragedy struck.

Terrifying footage of a fatal alligator attack on an 85-year-old woman shows the beast silently chasing her and her dog for more than 100 feet before timing its attack. She was dragged into the water by the animal – which other residents called Henry -.

Video showed the alligator jumping out of the water and lunging at the woman’s dog, appropriately named Trooper. Serge’s pup survived the attack, but the alligator was later captured and euthanized.

The horrific nightmare, captured on video, unfolded in front of a neighbor who frantically called 911 as she tried to help the woman. But it was too late

Her family’s attorneys have now filed a lawsuit against the retirement community, claiming Wynne Building Corp. responsible for her death.

The company develops and manages the Fairways of the Spanish Lakes.

They claim residents and staff fed the ferocious alligator food – and even gave it the pet name. There were no signs warning about the animal, the suit says.

Announcing the trial, Gloria’s devastated son Bill Serge said he could not imagine “the painful way my mother spent the last moments of her life.”

He claimed his mother’s death was “100% preventable.”

The son said: ‘No child should have to bury his mother in such horrible conditions.

“This was a 100% preventable tragedy, so I stand here today on behalf of my mother to share her story in the hope that this will never happen again.”

Attorney Gary Lesser said the company knew there were dangerous alligators in the water behind the woman’s home and did nothing about it. Some residents and staff actually fed the animal and named it Henry.

He said at a news conference, “In fact, the neighborhood called this particular alligator Henry, and they called him Henry because the alligator was seen so often on the banks of this retention pond.

Officials later managed to drag the alligator, its snout closed with rope, across the grass and put it in a truck.

The video released later shows Serge trying to get her dog away from the alligator’s jaws, but the alligator grabbed her instead and he can be seen dragging her into the lake

“Amazingly, Spanish Lakes didn’t actually post any warnings about the existence of these dangerous alligators that they knew about.

‘There were no warnings to residents in the weekly newsletters that Spanish Lakes sent to its residents.

“A recent visit to the property revealed that alligator warning signs had not yet been posted.”

In addition, the attorneys allege that Spanish Lakes Fairways encouraged residents to socialize at the retention pond, where people could fish and walk their dogs.

He added: “Spanish Lakes is one of these communities that has a rule: you can’t walk your dog on the streets of your community. Gloria was even given a trespassing and eviction notice for walking her small dog in the front yard of her home.”

Trooper, the trooper: The photo shows the grandmother’s dog, who was being walked when the alligator attacked. He survived

Officials later managed to drag the alligator (pictured), its snout closed with rope, across the grass and put it in a truck.

Florida has a population of 1.3 million alligators spread across its 67 counties, and they can be found in virtually all freshwater bodies and occasionally in saltwater.

But the number of cases of people being attacked by alligators in the state is small.

From 1948 to 2021, there have been 442 unprovoked biting incidents in Florida, 26 of which resulted in fatalities.

Over the past decade, Florida has averaged eight unprovoked bites per year that are serious enough to require professional medical treatment, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says on its website.

“The chance of a Florida resident being seriously injured in an unprovoked alligator incident in Florida is roughly only one in 3.1 million,” the report said.

Following yesterday’s attack, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said: ‘Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida.

“The FWC places the highest priority on public safety and administers a Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) to handle complaints about specific alligators believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property.

“People concerned about an alligator can call FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).

“If someone concerned about an alligator calls the Nuisance Alligator Hotline, we will dispatch one of our contracted nuisance alligator trappers to resolve the situation.”