Horror as mom's leg is savaged by an 8ft ALLIGATOR as she swam in a river - as she reveals the incredible way she escaped

A Florida woman is counting her blessings after what was supposed to be a refreshing dip in a local river that ended in a brutal alligator attack. 

Rachel Thompson was going through her daily morning routine of yoga and jogging when she went down to the Hillsborough River near her Temple Terrace home.

As she got out of the river, she discovered the alligator and was immediately under attack.

'The moment that I saw his head, it was just a fraction of a second from me seeing his head and him grabbing my leg,' Thompson said.

Thompson tried everything she knew to try and stop the gator: grabbing a rock and punching it. The gator attacked her further until she made an amazing escape.

She slowly realized she was beginning to wane in her resistance. 

'I realized as hard as I was trying to pull I was losing ground,' she told Bay News 9. 

'He was managing to still gain ground and gradually pull me further toward the center of the river toward deeper water,' she added. 

Thompson's manner of escape was shocking but effective. 

'In desperation, I just reached my hands to either side of his jaws and I pried them open.' 

Thompson was lucky to be found by her son and eventually was taken to the nearest hospital by a neighbor.

Doctors saw Thompson's leg was in bad shape and were worried about a potential infection.

She was given surgery to repair the broken leg and may get out as soon as Saturday.

Thompson remains at risk for an infection but she's grateful to be able to walk away at all. 

'I was not ready to leave my family,' she said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the attack.

They say that it's rare for an alligator to actually attack a human or pose any threat whatsoever.

Most often attacks can happen 'when people do not pay close attention to their surroundings when working or recreating near water.'