A lawsuit has been filed in connection with the 2023 death of an 85-year-old woman at a Florida retirement community who was killed by an alligator.
Gloria Serge was walking her dog near a retention pond in Spanish Lakes Fairways, which is located in Fort Pierce, on Feb. 20, according to WPBF. An alligator emerged and dragged her away under the water, according to CBS. Her body was later recovered.
The alligator involved in the attack was later trapped and killed. It was estimated to be about 10 feet long and weighed between 600 and 700 pounds, according to WESH.
The lawsuit against Wynne Building Corporation, which owns and manages Spanish Lakes Fairways where the tragedy took place, said the company knew there was a danger posed by alligators and did nothing to prevent it. The suit seeks $50,000 in damages.
“The Defendant encouraged, if not forced, the Decedent to walk her dog near a retention pond that it knew, or should have known, contained large, dangerous alligators that constituted a nuisance,” the lawsuit said.
“Spanish Lakes knew of dangerous alligators and did nothing,” attorney Gary Lesser said, according to TC Palm. Lesser is representing Bill Serge, who is the victim’s son. “They could have warned their residents. They could have had the alligator removed.”
“Instead, they encouraged the residents to go to the shore of the retention pond with community benches and sent them to where the alligators are. This was going to happen. It was preventable.”
Lesser said a tragedy was inevitable because of the rules imposed on walking dogs.
“Spanish Lakes is one of these communities that has a rule, you can’t walk your dog in the streets of your community,” Lesser said.
Will this lawsuit succeed?
Gloria Serge was given “an eviction warning for walking her small dog in the front yard of her house,” he said, which meant she had to take her dog in the back yard near a pond where alligators lived.
Lesser said the neighborhood named the alligator that later killed Gloria Serge “Henry” because it was often on the shore of the pond.
“Our investigations revealed that residents and staff fed the alligator chicken and other food from their lunch on a regular basis,” Lesser said. “The community had notice that staff and residents were feeding the alligators and did nothing to stop it.”
Family of 85-year-old Florida woman killed in alligator attack files a wrongful death lawsuit | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/mGWCiGtIF6
— WESH 2 News (@WESH) January 26, 2024
“One year ago, I received the phone call that every son dreads. My mother, Gloria, a healthy, vibrant and beautiful woman was dead,” Bill Serge said in a statement, according to the Miami Herald.
“I never could have imagined the agonizing way in which my mom spent her last minutes on this earth,” he said.
Joel Wynne, the president of Wynne Building Corporation, said the attack was the first in the 37-year history of the retirement community.
“We certainly understand the tragedy and the feelings of Mrs. Serge’s family,” Wynne said.
“Mrs. Serge was a longtime resident and certainly knew of the presence of alligators and that they were inherently dangerous animals,” he said.
