Raccoons maul woman, 74, who shooed them away
LAKELAND (AP) – A 74-year-old who was “filleted” by raccoons when she tried to shoo them away from her central Florida home was hospitalized for more than two days, authorities said Monday.
Gretchen Whitted, of Lakeland, was in stable condition Monday, two days after she saw a family of raccoons near her back patio. She told rescue personnel she tried to wave the animals away; a few minutes later, she spotted them at her front door and tried to run them off again. Then they attacked.
Whitted fell, and the five animals bit and clawed at her. A neighbor called for help after hearing the woman’s cries and seeing her covered in blood.