Woman in SC fatally attacked by alligator
A woman on Kiawah Island, South Carolina was killed by an alligator on May 1. Cynthia Renee Covert was at a friend’s home when she saw an alligator in a pond near the house. Covert decided to approach the alligator, her friend told police, and was about four feet from the edge of the pond when the alligator lunged out of the water and attacked.
The friend called 911 while her husband ran to the pond with a shovel and began striking the alligator, but the animal dragged Covert into the water. When police arrived, a deputy shot the alligator, hitting it four times and killing it before recovering Covert’s body.
Hikers in two separate incidents struck by falling trees near Nashville
Severe storms on Sunday injured hikers in two different incidents over the weekend.
The Nashville Fire Department and Long Hunter State Park rangers rescued a 47-year-old man after he was struck by a tree while hiking on Sunday. The man suffered a severe back injury and was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center. The man was hiking with his child and brother. The child was also hit by the tree and was taken to the hospital by the brother, where he was described as “alert.”
In a separate incident, a woman and man hiking in Percy Warner Park were badly injured when a tree fell. A 22-year-old woman was pinned beneath the tree, crushing her legs and shoulder. The man was more fortunate and was knocked clear of the tree as it fell. Both hikers were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Their conditions are currently unknown.
Park ranger in Austin pushed into lake after asking crowd to social distance
A man in Austin, Texas faces a felony after shoving a park ranger at Commons Ford Ranch Metro Park into a lake after the ranger asked a crowd of people to practice social distancing. Brandon Hicks, 25, is seen in a video filmed by a bystander pushing the ranger into a shallow lake after the ranger asks a group of people to “disperse.”
Hicks has been released from jail on $7,500 bond and is due in court on June 19. A person found guilty of a state jail felony faces a sentence of 180 days to two years, CNN reports. As a result of the incident, rangers in Austin are now required to approach groups in teams of two.
