By Kristy Wolski

Tampa, FL (Bay News 9/CNN) - An alligator's stroll across a Florida highway causes not one, but two car accidents.

Mark Christopherson has a new souvenir pried from the bottom of his car.

"I got my little piece of him," said Christopherson.

Christopherson was heading home from the casino along I-275 near Gandy Boulevard. His 79-year-old mother was behind the wheel.

"It was dark at that time in the morning and I just seen a figure," he said.

It was a 12 foot alligator in the middle of the interstate.

"It just happened so quick. I seen the alligator. It was too late to do anything, so I just told ma, just hit it! It went like five, six feet up in the air came down almost tipped the car. It almost flipped over," said Christopherson.

Turns out, they weren't the first people to hit the gator. Florida Highway Patrol says a half hour prior another driver hit the same animal.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in either accident.

"You know what? She's 80 years old and she went to work today. She works with the Coast Guard," said Christopherson.

And it seems her driving record speaks for itself.

"She's never had a ticket. One accident in all those years," he said.

An unusual night they'll probably never forget, and his piece of gator will be a permanent reminder.

Bay News 9/CNN