Dear Friends:

I now have the official incident report on the 8 May personal injury crash on the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail. It adds a little to what we already reported.

The incident occurred sometime between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM when the Fish and Wildlife Commission got a call from the Sheriff's office. Details remain a little vague, but a solo cyclist, 30 years of age, no helmet, no lights, not a GCC member, was proceeding along the Trail in the dark at about 15 mph, and "made contact" with an alligator on the GHT. (Yes, the alligator was real, and quite large). The cyclist landed on his face, and received severe facial lacerations and a broken front tooth, plus a concussion. The location of the crash was near Mile Marker 5. Apparently no charges were filed in this incident.

The report on the Club mail elicited several reports of other alligators on the Trail, all in daylight hours, going back over several years. The Park Manager assures us that we should have no concerns if we do not trespass by riding at night. But if you do encounter an alligator on the Trail, in daylight hours, I urge you to observe the 20-foot safety rule. If that cause you a problem, call the Ranger Station at 466.3397 and ask for help.

If you have additional questions, call me at 333.3184.

Cheers,

George

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