A man was killed after hitting an 11-foot alligator while driving in Florida early Thursday, authorities said.
Highlights
- John Hopkins, 59, was headed eastbound on Country Road 672, about two miles west of Country Road 39, in Lithia when he struck the alligator in the roadway at 12:30 a.m.
- The impact caused his car to veer off the road and flip into a ditch.
- A motorist passing through the area noticed the car in the ditch and called 911.
- Detectives responded to the scene and Hopkins was pronounced dead.
- The alligator was also dead at the scene, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.