Images from a body camera of an officer captured moments shortly after help arrived to assist the girl who was attacked last Wednesday by a shark in waters near Boca Grande, on the west coast of Florida.
The images from the body camera were released by the local media NBC6 and captured the rescue teams attending to the girl Leah Lendel after the incident.
The mother is also seen explaining what happened to the doctors and police who arrived at the scene. The woman explained that she and her other children were snorkeling near the shore and saw that the girl was hurt after coming out of the water.
“And then it flew away, and as if I had peeked out, I don’t know if I heard a scream or what, but it did that and I saw its hand hanging, like a piece, and there was blood everywhere (...) And I started screaming at my husband to hurry up and come out because there were so many babies that I didn’t know who to grab. I understood: it was a shark,” the woman recounted.
"That's alright. She's a brave little girl," an officer consoled the mother.
Three men who witnessed the incident also told the police what happened.
"We were sitting, having lunch, and we started to hear something like 'help,' so we jumped out of the water, jumped out of our chairs, he jumped into the water to get the shark out of his hands," said one of the men.
The men wrapped the girl's hand in towels before transporting her by plane to a hospital in Tampa.
"The only thing that can be seen is the hand, the arm, hanging from the arm, so we put a towel on it, took it to the front, and I called 911," said another.
The shark measured about 2.5 meters long and was near the shore, they explained. The police thanked the bystanders for their quick action.
According to the family, the girl's hand was put back in place
“She will be hospitalized for a while and then will receive a lot of physical therapy in hopes of regaining function in her hand,” the girl's uncle explained to NBC.
The attack
Leah Lendel was with her family enjoying a day at the beach when the incident occurred in the area of 2200 Shore Lane, shortly before noon.
According to a statement from the family, Leah had submerged her head to observe the seabed, and when she surfaced, she began to scream.
Her mother, who was just a few meters away taking care of her other two young children, noticed that the girl's right hand was covered in blood and severely injured.
The father, who was farther away with two other brothers, swam quickly toward the shore.
Despite the severity of her injury, Leah managed to walk by herself to the shore, where she was immediately assisted by construction workers and a good Samaritan who helped stop the bleeding with t-shirts.
The head of the Boca Grande Fire Department, C.W. Blosser III, confirmed that the injuries were consistent with a shark bite, although no sharks were spotted in the area at the time of the rescue.
Due to the severity of her injuries, Leah was airlifted to a hospital in Tampa, where she underwent six hours of surgery.
The doctors managed to reconstruct his hand by using arteries from his leg to restore blood flow and placing pins in the bones.
According to her mother, the girl can already move her fingers, although she is still under medical observation. Local authorities urged swimmers to exercise caution in open water areas.
The fire chief recalled that this is not the first incident of this kind in the area, although the cases have been sporadic over time. "When you receive a call like that, you always hope for the best and prepare for the worst," Blosser commented.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Shark Attack on a Girl in Florida
How did the shark attack on Leah Lendel in Florida happen?
The attack occurred while nine-year-old Leah Lendel was snorkeling in waters near Boca Grande on Florida's west coast. Leah was observing the seabed when she surfaced and was bitten by a shark. Despite the severity of her injury, she managed to reach the shore on her own, where she received immediate assistance before being taken to a hospital.
What was the response of the rescue teams after the shark attack?
The response was quick and effective. Construction workers and a good Samaritan helped stem Leah's bleeding with t-shirts, while emergency services transported her via helicopter to a hospital in Tampa. There, she underwent a six-hour surgery to reconstruct her hand.
How is Leah Lendel doing after the shark attack?
After the surgery, Leah can now move the fingers of her reconstructed hand and remains under medical observation. Her full recovery will depend on a physical therapy process to regain the function of her hand.
Are shark attacks common in the Boca Grande area of Florida?
Although shark attacks are not common, the chief of the Boca Grande Fire Department stated that isolated incidents have already occurred in the area. Local authorities are urging swimmers to take extra precautions in open water areas to avoid encounters with sharks.
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