A grandmother living in South Carolina was killed in a fatal alligator attack after her private community had promised to protect residents from such threats but made "no effort" to implement any safety measures, her family claimed in a lawsuit.

The 10-foot alligator partially consumed the woman. Holly Jenkins, 69, was a resident of the Spanish Wells community on Hilton Head Island, where her family reportedly reached a legal settlement last week.

Jenkins' relatives accused the residential complex's management of failing to ensure her safety, despite public pledges to address "risks" they were "aware of and responsible for". The settlement figure has not been disclosed, though court documents reveal it was approved on 5th May.

"The offer of settlement made on behalf of the defendants and their insurers is solely to buy their peace from litigation and save the expense of trial if suit were pursued under either the wrongful death or survival statutes," the order approving the wrongful death settlement says.

The Jenkins family maintained that the Spanish Wells Club, its property owners association, and the private community's management company were fully aware that alligator attacks in the area were "on the rise" prior to the tragic incident on July 4, 2023.

They alleged that these organisations were "aware of and responsible for mitigating the risks associated with these large and frequently dangerous animals." Yet Spanish Wells reportedly failed to honour this duty, despite pledging to provide "on-site alligator risk management services" for residents, according to the Express US.

The complaint stated: "Residents reasonably relied upon defendants' representations and assurances that they were managing and reducing the risks posed by alligators."

"Jenkins, a resident and community member of the Spanish Wells neighborhood in Beaufort County, was attacked and killed by a 10-foot alligator while taking a walk within her community."

According to court documents, Jenkins' husband and adult son grew deeply concerned upon discovering the family dog at home still wearing its leash, while Jenkins herself was nowhere to be found.

This prompted the two men to conduct a search of the surrounding neighbourhood.

"Holly's son heard splashing in a pond near the family home. When he approached the pond on his golf cart, he saw his mother lying face down in the water with a large alligator swimming nearby," the complaint stated.

After alerting the authorities, the son desperately tried to distract the "massive" alligator to stop it from reaching his mother. Upon the arrival of officials, the predator was destroyed.

Jenkins was tragically pronounced dead at the scene, though she did not perish during the initial attack, according to the complaint.

"A necropsy of the alligator revealed Ms. Jenkins' foot and hand in its stomach," the document said. The filing further noted that the Jenkins family attributed their relative's death to their community's "failures to provide reasonably safe premises".