9-year-old girl has hand bitten almost clean off by shark as she recounts horror of attack
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: WZVN
A young girl who almost lost her hand in a horror shark attack in Florida has spoken out on the ordeal.
Leah Lendel, nine, was snorkelling with her family off the coast of Boca Grande, Florida, when tragedy struck on June 11.
Leah dipped underwater and seconds later emerged screaming in pain and calling for her mom.
It turns out she'd been bitten by a shark on her hand, which nearly completely severed it. The shark which attacked the girl was said to be a whopping eight-foot long.
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Her parents called 911 and emergency services reportedly arrived at the horrific scene just three minutes later, while good samaritans nearby also rushed to the family's aid.
Leah was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital and underwent hours of surgery in a race against the clock to treat her injuries. By means of a miracle, her hand was saved.
She was released from hospital on Wednesday (June 18) but she still has a long road to full recovery as the youngster will have to undergo months of physiotherapy and possibly more surgical procedures.
Upon being discharged from hospital, Leah, her family, and her doctors chatted to the press, and the nine-year-old seemed somewhat unfazed by the undeniably scary ordeal.
"I was just snorkelling, and then I went up to breathe," she said. "Then something hard bit me and tried to tug me away. I looked at my hand, and it was covered in blood. I started screaming for my mom."
Leah continued to recall: "My dad was with me. He picked me up and we ran to the road."
Doctors have reportedly said that Leah's age will work in her favor as she should heal quickly.
Leah's doctors have praised the emergency responders' quick thinking when it came to the decision to have the her airlifted to the hopsital. Reportedly they had a six-hour window in which they could save the youngster's tendons, tissue and muscle, said ABC 30 Action News.
She was in surgery less than an hour after making it to the hospital.
The incident marked the first of two shark attacks in America in recent days. On Tuesday (June 17) there was an attack on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where a person suffered a non-life-threatening injury to the leg.
A Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue official wrote in press release: "The incident involved a patient with a leg injury consistent with lacerations typically associated with a shark bite."
The victim, whose name and age have not been revealed, was flown in a medical helicopter to a Savannah facility for further treatment.