Driver Hits 10-Foot, 300-Pound Alligator on HWY North of Houston

Can you imagine hitting a 300-pound alligator sprawled out in the middle of a highway? At 70 MPH! A Texas motorist got the shock his life when his vehicle hit the 10-foot alligator attempting to cross Texas 99 in Montgomery County, just north of Houston.

The driver of the vehicle hit the alligator at approximately 3 a.m. on Thursday, May 6, 2021. The Houston Chronicle reported the alligator got "lodged under his vehicle".

The monster alligator was dragged about a half mile before the driver came to a complete stop. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office says the driver had only minor injuries but the alligator wasn't so lucky.

A motor vehicle crash involving a 10-foot alligator! The driver of the vehicle had only minor injuries from the airbags...but sadly the alligator perished.-Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

 

Montgomery County game warden, Brannon Meinkowsky, believes more and more alligators are showing up on major highways because of human population.

The dead alligator was hauled away using a flatbed truck and dumped into the San Jacinto River.

Louisianans are no strangers to this type of wildlife activity. However, alligators of this size are mostly spotted in the rural areas of Louisiana and of course in the swamplands of the state.

The largest population of alligators in the U.S. are in Louisiana and Florida with more than one million of them in each state.

If you see an alligator, you should back away slowly. Most people think alligators can only lunge but are not fast over long distances. Not true, alligators can run up to 35 mph on land.