On August 15, 1992 Gunter was involved in a severe boating accident in the Gulf of Mexico near Matlacha, Florida. The collision caused the amputation of his left leg, below the knee, and his right hand. Gunter, 44, was forced to cancel his career as a firefighter for the City of Cape Coral, but was named Firefighter of the Year for the State of Florida in 1993. He went on to acquire his law degree from Nova Southeastern School of Law.
After qualifying at the Ironman 70.3 Florida, Gunter competed as a double-amputee in the Ford Ironman World Championship, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 10, 2009. He would have been the first upper- and lower-extremity amputee athlete to complete the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run, but his dream was cut short on the 23rd mile of the race's marathon, as his back seized and caused Gunter to collapse.
