Pregnant mum and unborn baby killed as family truck smashes into 12ft alligator
A pregnant mum and her unborn baby were killed when their family's pickup truck smashed into a 12-foot alligator in the road.
Gabrielle Breaux, 33, who was seven months pregnant, died when the pickup truck she was driving in with her children and dad ploughed into the alligator crossing the road just before 4am on Sunday.
Hospital staff tried to save her unborn child, but were unable to.
Refugio County Sheriff's Office said that the Chevy Silverado pickup truck veered left, rolled over on its right side, and came to rest upside down.
Car wash clerk Gabrielle's dad Gregory Gerard, and her three children aged 13, 11 and six were in the truck at the time. They all survived and were all transported to nearby hospitals.
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(Rena Hebert/Facebook)The alligator was killed in the collision with the truck. The condition of Gregory and the children has not been revealed.
Refugio County Sheriff's Office wrote in a post on Facebook: "Very early this morning RCSO Deputies responded to a truck traveling on State Highway 35 near FM 774 that hit an alligator and then rolled over.
"The truck had two adults and three children in it. All were transported to area hospitals. We pray that these people are all okay.
The alligator was also killed in the crash (Marcus Torres / Facebook)"Refugio County Office of Emergency Management, Tivoli Volunteer Fire Department, Refugio Volunteer Fire Department, and Calhoun County EMS all assisted with this accident."
The post attracted major attention by social media users of the community who shared their prayers for the people involved in the deadly accident.
Sergeant Rob Mallory of the Texas Department of Public Safety said the family "struck an alligator that was crossing the roadway".
The truck hit the alligator, then reeled left and rolled over (Refugio County Sheriff's Office / Facebook)Gabrielle's mum Rene Hebert wrote on Facebook: "My daughter Gabrielle Breaux was headed back from Texas with her dad and her 3 kids and hit a huge alligator in the road causing the truck to flip multiple times.
"My beautiful Gabbi and her baby didn’t make it. "Her other children sustained non life threatening injuries but has severe cuts and stitches and swelling.
"'RIP my beautiful Gabbi. Mom loves you and I will take good care of your babies and my grandchildren."
The woman's three children and her father were in the truck at the time (Marcus Torres / Facebook)Gabrielle was from New Iberia, Louisiana, and the crash took place 60 miles north of Corpus Christi near the small village of Tivoli, in Refugio County in Texas.
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Gregory Gerard was taken to Shoreline Hospital in Corpus Christi, and the children were sent to DeTar in Victoria, Texas.
Victoria County Game Warden Jared Lewis said alligator sightings on roadways may happen because the alligator is looking for a body of water, Victoria Advocate reported.
Emergency services at the scene (Refugio County Sheriff's Office / Facebook)Mr Lewis, who has experience catching and relocating alligators found on roadways, said authorities should be contacted when an alligator is found.
It comes weeks after a 69-year-old woman was mauled to death by an alligator in South Carolina.
The 69-year-old woman was walking near a lagoon that borders a golf course when the large reptile appeared and attacked the woman.
The horror crash scene (Refugio County Sheriff's Office / Facebook)First responders found her unresponsive, then later pronounced her dead.
The alligator that attacked her was "guarding" her when they arrived at the Hilton Head Island resort at 9:30am, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said.
"Rescue efforts were made and an alligator appeared and was guarding the woman, interrupting emergency efforts," the sheriff's office said. "The gator was safely removed from the area and the woman's body was recovered."
The Beaufort County Coroner's Office is set to perform an autopsy on the woman. It's unclear what happened to her dog.
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