The Hilton Head area has had 7 alligator attacks in 6 years. Here are the details

While fatal alligator attacks are typically rare, there have been three fatalities within five years in Beaufort County. Meanwhile, other attacks have occurred that have resulted in serious injury.

Although some of these attacks have seemingly happened as accidents, many have one thing in common — the victim was walking their dog near a lagoon.

To avoid a potential alligator attack in South Carolina, there are many safety tips one should follow, including keeping children, pets and yourself away from neighboring lagoons.

Here is a list of seven alligator attacks that have taken place in Beaufort County within a six-year span.

July 2023

On July 5, 2023, a Hilton Head woman was found dead near Spanish Wells lagoon and a 9-foot alligator was taken from the scene.

A 69-year-old resident of Spanish Wells was found around the edge of a lagoon bordering the golf course along Brams Point Road and appeared to be unresponsive before 9:30 a.m. that morning. An alligator appeared and was guarding the woman, interrupting rescue efforts, according to previous Island Packet reporting and emergency alerts at the time.

This marked the second fatal alligator attack in Beaufort County in less than a year.

Deputies learned that the woman had been walking her dog earlier that morning when the attack occurred. Her dog was later found safe

The alligator was euthanized following this attack.

August 202 2

In August of 2022, 88-year-old Nancy Becker was fatally attacked by an alligator in Sun City in a pond near her home.

Investigators believed she slipped and fell while gardening, according to previous Island Packet reporting.

Prior to the most recent fatality last year, this was the second fatal alligator attack in Beaufort County in nearly six years and the third alligator attack in Sun City in the past four years.

Deputies arrived at Sun City on the morning of Aug. 15, 2022 after receiving a call from a resident reporting that a 9-foot, 8-inch male alligator seemed to be “guarding” Becker’s body on the edge of the water.

The alligator was euthanized following this attack.

October 2021

In October 2021, a 70-year-old man was working in his yard near the edge of a pond on a Sun City golf course when an alligator attacked him. The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on a Monday early in the month.

Following the attack, the Sun City resident sustained fairly serious injuries to his legs and arms, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources spokesperson David Lucas said in previous Island Packet reporting. He was hospitalized after being taken to Savannah Memorial Hospital for treatment.

The man was freed after a neighbor, who was playing golf nearby, noticed the unfolding incident, was able to come to the man’s aid and “get the alligator off of him,” Lucas said.

The hero was able to help his neighbor by hitting the alligator on the head with a golf club.

Only two alligators were known to be in the pond and both were removed following the attack.

September 2021

In September 2021, an elderly woman was attacked while walking her dog one Thursday morning in the private, gated community of Hilton Head Plantation on Hilton Head Island.

The woman was found lying near a lagoon with a leg injury following the attack, police said.

The lagoon was located on Rookery Way, which bordered the Hilton Head Island woman’s backyard. She was walking her dog by the lagoon when she was attacked by the 8-foot gator, the DNR’s Lucas said.

After hearing a commotion, one of the woman’s neighbors attempted to help, thinking she fell into the water, by grabbing the woman by the waist. The neighbor then realized something had her caught and called out to her husband.

The neighbor’s husband was able to set the woman loose after “whacking” the alligator on the snout with a shovel, according to previous Island Packet reporting.

The injured Hilton Head woman was hospitalized at the Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah.

Her dog was not injured.

The alligator responsible for the attack was found, removed and euthanized.

July 2020

On the evening of July 4, 2020, a 75-year-old Callawassie Island woman was attacked by a 10-foot alligator.

The woman was trimming plants near the edge of a pond in the gated community when the alligator latched onto her leg and pulled her into the water, Lucas said.

At the time, a man was passing by on a golf cart and saw the woman in obvious distress in the pond. At the time, he was unaware of the alligator’s presence and attempted to pull her up by her waist and thought the initial resistance was simply her own weight.

The man only realized that a third party was involved when, during his attempt to rescue her, the alligator briefly pulled both of them underwater until it let loose. The man and woman then both resurfaced, and the man pulled the woman out of the water, according to previous Island Packet reporting.

The woman had several fractures to her leg and some “pretty bad” lacerations, said Lucas. She underwent several surgeries.

The 10-foot alligator was later removed and euthanized.

A couple months prior, a 57-year-old Johns Island woman was fatally attacked at Kiawah Island on May 1, 2022.

August 2019

A 68-year-old woman was hospitalized following an alligator attack in the gated, retirement neighborhood community of Sun City.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office reported that the attack happened around 10 p.m. on Landing Lane.

The woman told authorities she was bitten by the alligator while walking her dog between two houses about 25 yards away from a pond on Landing Lane inside the gated community. Following the attack, officials said the dog ran away and was not injured. Some of the woman’s injuries were described as serious, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and previous reporting by WJCL .

The alligator was reported to be between 8 to 9 feet. A nearby alligator matching the description of the one that attacked the woman was removed and euthanized following the incident.

November 2018

In November 2018, a fatal alligator attack occurred in the gated community of Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island on a Monday morning.

A 45-year-old woman died after one of the neighborhood’s resident alligators pulled her and her dog into a lagoon. The victim was identified as Cassandra Cline, a resident of Sea Pines. She was killed while trying to save her dog.

When Hilton Head Fire Rescue arrived, the alligator was in the water circling the body. First responders were able to lasso the alligator and bring it ashore, Lucas said.

“The alligator grabbed the leash instead of the dog,” S.C. Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Regional Coordinator Sam Chappelear said at the time. “There was some sort of tug-of-war with her trying to get the dog back via the leash, and in turn, the alligator drug her and the dog into the water.”

The woman and her dog were reported to have been “very near” the edge of the lagoon.

At the time, law enforcement had responded to Wood Duck Road in Sea Pines Plantation at around 9:30 a.m that day after witnesses saw an alligator attacking the woman in a lagoon. However, the attack had actually occurred on Governors Road, detailed previous Island Packet reporting.

The dog was found “soaked” but unharmed following the attack.

The alligator believed to be responsible for the attack was reportedly 9 feet in length and was caught and euthanized following the fatal incident.