A driver rang up their insurance provider, recounting a peculiar incident: “Hi there! An alligator caused my car to plunge.” This was the opening line of a genuine conversation that unfolded in Chalmette, Louisiana, one Monday morning at 6:30.
Behind the wheel of a Honda Fit, the driver failed to react swiftly enough when the vehicle ahead slowed down to observe a massive alligator lounging in the middle of Paris Road. To avoid a collision, the driver veered left, inadvertently driving straight into the bayou lining the roadside.
A local towing service came to the rescue, with photos capturing the Honda being hauled back to dry land. However, it’s unlikely that the hatchback will ever return to the road, destined instead for the scrapyard after its waterlogged ordeal.
Ironically, both the Honda’s plunge and the preceding car’s maneuver to dodge the alligator proved futile. Authorities later revealed that the alligator was already deceased by the time the two vehicles encountered it.
Eyewitnesses confirmed spotting the motionless gator in the same spot earlier. Investigations are ongoing to ascertain the cause of its demise, whether from a collision or other factors.
This wasn’t the first instance of motorists crossing paths with alligators. In 2023, a driver’s life was saved by Google Maps after they careened into alligator-infested waters while evading a wild hog in Indianatown, Florida.
In a separate incident a year prior, a motorist collided with an 11-foot alligator on County Road 672 in Lithia, Florida. The impact sent the vehicle careening off the road into a nearby ditch, resulting in fatalities.
Five years ago, Roger Light captured footage of an eight-foot alligator leisurely swimming through rainwater on a flooded road in Florida while waiting at a traffic light.
Louisiana and Florida boast the largest alligator populations in the United States, with Florida alone hosting around 1.3 million, according to the Wildlife Conservation Commission.
