BRANDON, Fla. — Juan Carlos La Verde was swimming in Lake Thonotosassa when he hit something hard.
“It all happened very quickly, but I remember feeling the scales, the tongue and the teeth of this huge animal that looked like a Jurassic beast,” said La Verde, 34.
La Verde, an Oldsmar firefighter, was training for a sporting event. The Colombian-born triathlete owns an outdoor adventure and motivational company, Defeat-X, that was planning a competition in November.
