Man bitten in the face by alligator at Florida airboat attraction, lawsuit says
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida man is suing a Central Florida attraction after claiming he was bitten by an alligator, according to a complaint filed in Orange County last month.
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What the lawsuit claims:
Edil Kasenov, of Broward County, visited Airboat Rides at Midway in Christmas on June 9, 2025, court documents say.
While at the attraction, Kasenov was bitten in the face by a gator that was handed to him during a free Alligator Encounter experience, the complaint alleges.
The lawsuit is accusing Airboats Rides at Midway of negligence, claiming the company failed to properly train employees and warn Kasenov of the "dangerous and hazardous condition" of the gator.
"There were no warnings, signs or other devices to warn or indicate the vicious nature of the subject alligator," the lawsuit says. "Additionally, there were no measures used by defendant to restrain the alligator or otherwise protect the plaintiff."
According to the lawsuit, the man suffered serious bodily injuries, resulting in pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of wages and the "loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life."
Kasenov, who is represented by attorneys with The Law Offices of Berman & Berman, P.A., is seeking more than $50,000 in damages.
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What is Airboat Rides at Midway?
Airboat Rides at Midway is located off East Colonial Drive in Christmas.
Airboat Rides at Midway website
The attraction offers daily airboat rides on the St. Johns River. At the end of the tour, visitors can hold an alligator and take pictures as part of an Alligator Encounter experience, according to Airboat Rides at Midway's website.
In the FAQ section of its website, Airboat Rides says it puts bands around the gators' mouths during the encounter to "prevent any bites."
What they're saying:
Airboat Rides at Midway released a statement to FOX 35, calling Kasenov a "social media influencer that does things for clicks:"
After our airboat tours end we take our customers up to our alligator enclosure and take out a baby alligator to be held for free. Nobody is forced to do it if they don't want to. Before handing the alligator to anyone the mouth is banded shut so they can't open their mouth and every participant is told to hold the alligator with two hands under the front armpits and the other at the base of the tail. We instruct them to hold the alligator flat and waist to chest level and DO NOT PUT THE ALLIGATOR BY YOUR FACE OR TO PRETEND TO KISS THE ALLIGATOR as they can get startled as swing their head, which is solid bone, hit you in the mouth or face and hurt you.
Mr. Kasenov is a Social Media Influencer that does things for clicks and did exactly what he was told not to do and stuck his face next to the alligator for a family picture that they requested to be taken and as soon as he put his face by the alligator, it got startled and it swung its head, slapping Mr. Kasenov in the check bone causing some minor scratches. We gave him some ointment and verified that he was ok. He said he was.
While here, he posted on his social media, "having a good time with it" calling himself Scarface and even posted "They probably think I'm going to sue them but I'm not going to because it was my fault". I have the posts saved on my phone for proof that this is a frivolous suit for money as Mr. Kasenov goes around suing regularly as I believe this is the third attorney he has hired for this suit.
The Source: The story was written with information gathered from court documents filed in Orange County and from Airboat Rides at Midway.