Albert Miller may now be understanding what Mark Twain really meant when he coined the term “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” The 75-year-old Albert Miller had an encounter with an alligator while he was playing golf last Wednesday at Lake Ashton Golf and Country Club. During a four-ball tournament with his buddy Ted Price, Miller had hooked his drive into clear water that bordered the green. Not knowing of what was lying in wait, Miller grabbed his ball and two others which were left by previous golfers, but as he turned around his nightmare in real life began.
According to The Ledger:
That’s when the alligator launched at him from under the water and got him by his left knee. “He lifted me up three feet and slammed me down,” Miller said. Price ran over and grabbed Miller under his shoulders while the animal was thrashing and pulling. The other two golfers in the foursome ran over to help. Miller said the animal took one look at him and clamped down harder.
Miller had nothing to do except hope for a miracle at that point to save his life, and his prayer was thankfully answered.
“He let me go,” Miller said. “I was three feet from my life. He had me submerged up to my belt buckle. That was my miracle of the month.” “If a person had been there by himself, it’s safe to say that he would have been dragged into the water,” Price said. Miller’s leg was a “mess,” Price said. They wrapped his knee in a towel, drove the golf cart over to him, and drove to the front gate to meet an ambulance. When asked if he thought Miller might or might not survive the attack, Price said he didn’t know.
What followed was a whirlwind of hospital activity which left Miller with 35-40 stitches, a 10-inch long wound and two other 5 inch lacerations. The knee is still too swollen for doctors to get a good read on the extent of the damage, but Miller is lucky to be alive. As for the alligator, trappers captured the 190-pound animal who had been illegally fed by unknown folks on the golf course which was said to have added to the aggressiveness.
