I saw one about 4' long on the side of 301 that had been hit. Pretty sure he was dead though.

I don't want to hit a 12' gator in my LX, that's for sure. This all reminds me of when my wife was driving on vacation. We were flying down US 19 up by Chiefland at night. There were deer all along the side of the road and Tammy asked, "If one of those deer jumps out in the road, should I swerve or just hit the brakes and hold it straight?" I told her they were just Florida deer, not like the cow sized ones we were used to up north so hit the brakes and hold her straight. Better to hit that little deer than to lose control and smack a big ass tree or pole. She said fine and we continued on our way. When we got into the Crystal River area where you see the bear crossing signs she said, "Shit! What if a bear jumps out in front of me?" I said, "Hit the fucking tree. At least the tree won't get pissed and eat you." Seems like with a 12' gator you should hit the tree too...but then the bastige would probably eat you no matter if you hit him or the tree. I hope your friend escaped, Rick.