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 grandma who was dragged to her death by an alligator has sued the retirement village where she lived, claiming they knew about the lurking predator.   

Gloria Serge, 85, died after the 10-foot gator mauled 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 Spanish Lakes Fairways retirement community in Fort Pierce, Florida, in February last year when disaster struck. 

Terrifying footage of a fatal alligator attack on 85-year-old woman showed the beast silently stalking her and her dog for over 100ft before timing its strike. She was dragged into the water by the animal – which was named Henry by other residents. 

Video showed the alligator burst from the water and lunges at the woman's dog – who is aptly named Trooper. Serge's pup survived the attacked, but the gator was later captured and euthanized. 

The horrifying 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, alleging that the Wynne Building Corp., is to blame for her death.

The corporation developed and manages Spanish Lakes Fairways. 

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

Announcing the lawsuit, Gloria's devastated son Bill Serge, said he couldn't imagined ‘the agonizing way in which my mom spent the final moments of her life.' 

He claimed that his mom's death was ‘100% preventable.' 

The son said: ‘No child should have to bury their mom under such horrible circumstances,.

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

Attorney Gary Lesser said the company knew 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 called it Henry. 

He said at a news conference: ‘In fact, the neighborhood named this particular alligator Henry, and they named it Henry because the alligator was seen so often on the shores of this retention pond.

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

Video released later shows as Serge tried to get her dog away from the alligator's jaws but the gator grabbed her instead and could be seen dragging her into the lake

‘Amazingly, Spanish Lakes actually posted no warnings about the existence of these dangerous alligators they knew about.

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

‘A recent visit to the property revealed no signs warning of the alligators had been placed yet.'

As well as this, the lawyers are claiming that Spanish Lakes Fairways encouraged residents to socialize by 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 in the streets of your community. In fact, Gloria was given a violation and eviction warning for walking her small dog in the front yard of her house.'

Trooper, the trooper: Pictured is 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 shut with rope, across the grass and put it in a truck

Florida has a population of 1.3 million alligators across its 67 counties, and they can be found in practically all fresh water bodies and occasionally in salt water.

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

From 1948 to 2021, 442 unprovoked bite incidents have occurred in Florida, 26 of which resulted in human fatalities.

Over the past ten years, 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 likelihood of a Florida resident being seriously injured during an unprovoked alligator incident in Florida is roughly only one in 3.1million,' it 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 address complaints concerning specific alligators believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property.

‘People with concerns about an alligator should call FWC's toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).

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