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Family of elderly woman killed by alligator in Florida sues retirement community
The family of an elderly woman killed by an alligator last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owner of the retirement community where the attack happened.
Gloria Serge, 85, she died in February 2023 while walking her small dog near the lake outside of her home in Spanish Lakes Fairways, a housing development in Fort Pierce, Florida. Surveillance footage from a wildlife camera set up in the community showed the moment a big alligator emerged from the lake and lunged at both Serge and her dog.
The footage was released by Inside Edition, and it includes portions of a distressed 911 call that Serge’s neighbor placed as she watched the alligator pull the 85-year-old into the water.
Wildlife officials estimated that the alligator was 10 feet long. It took at least six people to wrangle the creature, load it into the back of a pickup truck and transport it to be euthanized after the attack. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed in a statement soon after the attack that Serge’s remains had been recovered.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday on behalf of Serge’s son, William Serge, who manages her estate.
“One year ago, I received a phone call that every son dreads,” William Serge said at a news conference, CBS affiliate WPEC reported. “I never could have imagined the agonizing way that my mother spent the last moments of her life.”
Serge’s family is seeking at least $50,000 in damages from Wynne Building Corporation, which owns and operates Spanish Lakes Fairways, as well as a jury trial, according to the complaint. The lawsuit holds the corporation responsible for the deadly alligator attack, claiming that Wynne Building Corporation knew the creature lived on the property, or should have known, but did not alert residents or take steps to remove the animal.
“The presence of large alligators in the lakes on the property was well known to the property manager, and this gator was no exception,” said attorneys representing Serge’s family in a statement. “In fact, evidence obtained by our firm will show that maintenance workers in the community routinely fed this alligator chicken scraps and even named the dangerous reptile ‘Henry.'”
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A food company known for popular grocery store condiments has recalled a package of tortilla strips that may be contaminated with wheat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The product is meant to be gluten-free.
Sugar Foods, a manufacturing and distribution corporation focused mainly on various toppings, artificial sweeteners and snacks, issued the recall for the “Santa Fe Style” version of tortilla strips sold by the brand Fresh Gourmet.
“People who have a wheat allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product,” said Sugar Foods in an announcement posted by the FDA.
Packages of these tortilla strips with an expiration date as late as June 20, 2025, could contain undeclared wheat, meaning the allergen is not listed as an ingredient on the label. The Fresh Gourmet product is marketed as gluten-free.
Sugar Foods said a customer informed the company on Nov. 19 that packages of the tortilla strips actually contained crispy onions, another Fresh Gourmet product normally sold in a similar container. The brand’s crispy onion product does contain wheat, and that allergen is noted on the label.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
No illnesses tied to the packaging mistake have been reported, according to the announcement from Sugar Foods. However, the company is still recalling the tortilla strips as a precaution. The contamination issue may have affected products distributed between Sept. 30 and Nov. 11 in 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Sugar Foods has advised anyone with questions about the recall to contact the company’s consumer care department by email or phone.
CBS News reached out to Sugar Foods for more information but did not receive an immediate reply.
This is the latest in a series of food product recalls affected because of contamination issues, although the others involved harmful bacteria. Some recent, high-profile incidents include an E. coli outbreak from organic carrots that killed at least one person in California, and a listeria outbreak that left an infant dead in California and nine people hospitalized across four different states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The E. coli outbreak is linked to multiple different food brands while the listeria outbreak stemmed from a line of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products sold by Yu-Shang Foods.
