Teenager loses leg after shark attack in Florida

Teenager loses leg after shark attack in Florida

The teen who survived a shark attack last week near Tallahassee, Florida, is now facing surgery to amputate one of her legs.

Addison Bethea, 17, of nearby Berry, was surfing in the shallow waters off the coast of Keaton Beach on Thursday when a shark suddenly approached and bit her. Neither authorities nor witnesses have been able to confirm what type of shark attacked the Pythia, although people who later saw this happen estimated the animal to be approximately 9 feet long.

CBS Miami reported that Bethea is scheduled to undergo an amputation on Tuesday after a shark stuck the top of her right leg. Bethea recounted the details of the incident during a recent interview at the hospital where she is currently receiving treatment and explained how her older brother, firefighter Rhett Willingham, managed to fend off the shark and provide emergency medical support after it was pulled to safety.

"We were moving about two hours, and we went to the last point, for only 15 minutes, and we were going towards the boat, and it just felt like a tug," she said. Bethea then remembered trying to punch the shark in the nose but noted that she could not do so due to her "strange location."

"Then she tried to drag me under the water because we were in six feet of water," she added.

Willingham told CBS Miami that he was eight feet from Pythia when he heard his sister screaming. "I stood up to turn around to see what was going on because it seemed like something was terrifying her," he said. "She was underwater, and then she came back, and there was blood around her, and I saw the shark."

Addison Bethea left and faced a long battle after being bitten by a shark off Keaton Beach in Florida. Her brother Rhett Willingham helped save her. / credit: CBS Miami

Addison Bethea faces a long battle after being bitten by a shark off Keaton Beach in Florida. Her brother Rhett Willingham helped save her. / credit: CBS Miami

He retrieved Pythia from the shark's cage before transferring her to a boat and placing an initial tourniquet on her injured leg to reduce blood loss. The siblings' mother, Michelle Murphy, praised Bullingham and described her daughter's survival as a "miracle."

Although Bethea faces a lengthy recovery, the teen is optimistic about eventually returning to the water.

"Don't be afraid of the ocean," she said. "I've had a lot of people commenting on my Instagram saying, 'I'm so scared of the ocean right now.'" But I will still go to the ocean when I recover and get better. I will still do what I love, don't let fear control your life."

Thursday's attack is one of the latest in an alarming pattern of similar incidents. Shark attacks worldwide increased in 2021, after several consecutive years of declining numbers, with more recorded in the United States than. Approximately 40% of the 73 unprovoked shark bites reported globally originated from incidents in Florida.

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