Family of woman killed by alligator files wrongful death lawsuit against Sun City
The son of a woman killed by an alligator in Sun City has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the gated community, alleging the Del Webb company and its employees were “negligent” in preventing the deadly attack last August.
Nancy Becker, 88, was reportedly gardening outside her Sun City home on Aug. 15 when she slipped and fell in a pond and was subsequently attacked and killed by a 9-foot, 8-inch male alligator, according to previous reporting from the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
The wrongful death lawsuit seeks full damages for the fatal attack. Named as defendants are the Sun City Hilton Head Community Association; the parent company Del Webb Communities, Inc.; and Tammy Hayes, a common area administrator at the 55-plus gated community in Okatie.
Charleston attorney Sean M. Wilson claims Del Webb “attracted hazards and predators such as alligators” into the community by including ponds and other bodies of water, while also failing to install protective measures like fences or guardrails around the areas.
The lawsuit specifically names Hayes, whose administrative position involves maintaining the pond areas and managing DNR permits for alligator culling, which grant the community permission to hunt and kill small numbers of the animal. Court documents allege Hayes “only sporadically” carried out use of the permits, allowing for a larger alligator population that put Becker and other Sun City residents at risk.
Hayes, as well as representatives from the Sun City Community Association and Del Webb Communities, could not be reached for comment.
A history of alligator attacks in Beaufort County
The Monday filing adds to a growing list of lawsuits related to alligator attacks in Beaufort County.
A December suit against Hilton Head Plantation and The Rookery, a neighborhood in the area, sought damages for “permanent injuries and disability” incurred during a Sept. 2, 2021 attack, in which The Rookery resident Elsie Kyle was dragged into a lagoon and held underwater by an alligator while walking her dog.
Another wrongful death lawsuit came after the death of Hilton Head resident Cassandra “Cassie” Cline, who was killed by an alligator in August 2018. The suit, filed in 2019 against Sea Pines Resort, its Community Services Associates group and Sea Pines Country Club, was settled in early 2022.
Between August 2018 and August 2022, six people in Beaufort County were attacked by alligators — at least one each year. Becker’s death on Aug. 15 marks the last known attack in the county.
The frequency of alligator attacks in the county has slowly increased over the last decade, but their population has stabilized alongside laws protecting the creatures and their habitats. While laws provide for the euthanization of alligators that attack humans, relocation and translocation of alligators are illegal in South Carolina.
Wilson, whose Charleston law office represents the Becker family, could not be reached for comment.
This story was originally published April 18, 2023 at 7:06 PM.
