Brodie, 11, and his father were visiting from Pennsylvania and fishing two weekends ago at Nelson's Fish Camp near Umatilla when the attack occurred. Andrew Wright, one of Brodie's relatives, said they were aware of their surroundings and had seen alligators in the area, but nothing that was close to them or of concern. The attack happened as Brodie was putting a fish back in the water that he had just reeled in. Wright said the gator came out of nowhere and they never saw it. The alligator grabbed Brodie by the arm, and his father jumped on it trying to pry its mouth open. When he did that, the gator did its roll and broke pretty much every bone in Brodie's lower arm, severing part of his hand.
At the hospital, doctors had to amputate Brodie's right hand, which Wright said is his dominant one when playing sports like baseball and football. Wright said everything that Brodie knew, doing everything with his right hand, he can't do that anymore, and physically and emotionally it's going to be a very long road for him. Despite what's ahead, Brodie remains in good spirits, as shown by his smile in photos taken after the attack. A GoFundMe for Brodie and his family had already raised more than $19,000 in donations as of Tuesday morning. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it captured and killed the nearly 9-foot alligator believed to be responsible for the attack.