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90-Year Old Woman Loses Leg In Gator Attack

COPELAND (CBS4) - A 90-year old southwest Florida woman is in critical condition after she was attacked by an alligator.

Florida wildlife officials said Margaret Webb was walking near her home in Copeland, a small community east of Ft. Myers, on Wednesday when an 8-foot alligator lunged out of a canal. The gator clamped onto Webb's leg and tried to drag her into the water.

Webb, however, was able to hang on long enough for a man driving by to stop and help her. That good Samaritan tried to shoot the alligator but it got away.

Webb was rushed to a local hospital where doctors were forced to amputate her leg.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers are searching for the alligator.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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