Shark attacks can be grisly and cruel. We've heard horror stories of sharks claiming swimmers' arms, legs, and even their lives in encounters that remind us why Jaws was so popular. Beach-goers got more than they bargained for when an Australian surfer's leg washed to shore on the beach. It was a grisly sight but also a welcomed one for doctors hoping to reattach it.
The severed limb washed up in the surf after 23-year-old Kai McKenzie fended off a shark attack. The fish attacked him while he was surfing near Port Macquarie in New South Wales on Tuesday, ABC News reported. Officials reported that it was a great white shark that attacked the surfer. After being bitten, McKenzie went into fight or flight mode. He battled the fish, successfully managing to fend off the 10-foot shark.
As he caught a moment, the surfer used a wave to push him back to the beach. There he frantically flagged down help. "He was very lucky at the time we had a [off duty] police officer that was walking his dog," NSW Ambulance's Kirran Mowbray said. "He used a lead off the dog as a tourniquet to wrap around the young man's leg. And essentially saved the man's life until the paramedics got there."
Surfer Injured In Shark Attack
Despite the terror of losing a leg, the surfer remained calm in his interactions with emergency responders. They rushed him to a nearby hospital. Fast forward to a short time later, McKenzie's severed leg washed ashore. It's a bit miraculous considering the leg could have gone to the bottom of the sea. Locals quickly put the leg on ice and took it to the hospital.
From there, Mckenzie and his leg to a hospital aircraft to John Hunter Hospital. It's a major trauma center. Surgeons assessed whether they could save the leg and performed surgery on the surfer. However, only time will tell if it could be reattached.
"He's just a really brave and courageous young man," Mowbray said. Following the attack, A GoFundME page raised more than $116,000 in donations for the surfer.
