( CNN ) -- A man whose left arm was bitten off by a 600-pound alligator is fortunate to be alive , thanks in part to five nurses picnicking nearby . The alligator was killed and the man 's arm was removed from its belly , officials said . Bill Hedden , 59 , was snorkeling in a South Carolina lake on Sunday when the 12-foot-long gator attacked , according to witnesses . `` Suddenly we had commotion and we saw a guy right here . He 's bleeding profusely . We thought he was just kidding , '' witness Jerome Bien told CNN affiliate WCSC-TV in Charleston . Capt . Bill Salisbury of the Berkeley County Rescue Squad said the victim `` was able to run up the bank to a picnic area , where a lot of people were . They saw what was happening and called 911 . '' Watch nurses describe how they helped victim » . Among the group nearby at Lake Moultrie were five registered nurses , who were able to put ice on his wound and keep him awake until paramedics could arrive , CNN affiliate WSOC-TV . `` One of the ... [ nurses kept ] on encouraging him to breathe and because he was turning blue , '' nurse Jo Masauding told WCSC-TV . `` He was very conscious and asking for his wife , to call his wife , to make sure she knew what happened to him , '' Masauding said . Hedden was taken to the Medical University of South Carolina , where he was reported to be in critical condition . Department of Natural Resources officers killed the alligator , and Salisbury said Hedden 's arm was retrieved from the gator 's belly , put on ice and taken to the hospital . Doctors were evaluating whether it could be reattached . Wildlife officials said it was one of the worst gator attacks in the state , WSOC reported . E-mail to a friend .
John Hedden , 28 , was swimming in a South Carolina lake when the bear attacked . Among picnickers were two doctors who treated victim . Gator killed , arm removed from body for possible reattachment .