Florida couple relive their pain after Disney World alligator tragedy

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Donna and Gary Weidenhamer lost their son Bradley during a canoeing trip
An alligator grabbed his head while he was playing in a river's shallows
Gary and other adults pried the alligator off, but Bradley couldn't be save
Lane Graves, 2, was attacked by an alligator at Disney World Tuesday
His death has brought back terrible memories for the couple

Published: 18:24 EST, 19 June 2016 | Updated: 22:19 EST, 19 June 2016

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A couple whose whose ten-year-old boy was killed by an alligator in a Florida river are reliving their most painful memories after the death of Lane Graves, two, at Disney World Tuesday night.

Donna and Gary Weidenhamer lost their son Bradley in an alligator attack on the Loxahatchee River in Martin County in 1993. The boy was grabbed and dragged into the water while playing - in a similar manner to the way Graves was killed.

'Obviously it's a horrible situation,' Gary Weidenhamer told WLWT 5. 'It brings back memories of the horrible situation we went through.'

Killed: Bradley Weidenhamer was killed by an alligator in 1993 while on a canoeing trip on the Loxahatchee River in Martin County, Florida. The alligator was pulled off him but he couldn't be saved

Parents: Gary (left) and Donna (right) Weidenhamer have relived their traumatic memories after hearing of the death of Lane Graves, 2, who was killed by an alligator at Disney World on Tuesday

The Weidenhamers were halfway through a seven-mile canoe trip with Bradley, his Little League team and adults including the team's coach when they were stopped by a cluster of fallen trees.

While the adults cleared the trees, some of the kids joined Bradley to play in the shallows by the river.

It was then that the alligator struck, grabbing him by the head and pulling him into the water.

Gary and Little League coach Miguel Estrada leaped on the beast, hitting and kicking it as they tried to pull the boy from its jaws, while others smacked it with canoe paddles.

They managed to get Bradley free and put him in a canoe, performing CPR as they took him to safety downriver.

An ambulance took him to Jupiter Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The alligator was later caught and killed.

For the Weidenhamers, the pain of losing their son was compounded by the strong media interest in his story.

'Losing a child is never easy, but when it's such a public way, it's even harder,' Gary Weidenhamer told WLWT.

However, the couple struggled on - with more than a little help from those around them. 'For us, faith in God and our church and friends and relatives helped us get through that,' he said.

'It makes you realize how important your family is, Donna Weidenhamer said. 'It puts it in perspective. How important it is to share your faith with people so they can be strong through challenging things in life.'

And that perspective is something that Gary Weidenhamer offered to Lane Graves' parents, Matt and Melissa.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,' he said 'You don't get over it. You learn how to deal with it.'