A 9-year-old girl snorkeling off Boca Grande, Florida, was attacked by a shark, leaving her with severe injuries.
The family of Leah Lendel told Gulf Coast News that she went underwater on Wednesday, and as she came up, she started screaming. Her mother, who was about four feet away with her two toddler children, said she saw that Leah’s hand was covered in blood and mostly torn off, the news station reported.
The mother said she took the two toddlers to shore as her husband, who was also snorkeling, swam over. Leah was able to walk to shore by herself, where a group of nearby construction workers wrapped her hand in some t-shirts, according to the outlet.
Leah was airlifted to a hospital in Tampa, according to the news station. Her mother said she underwent a six-hour surgery, and doctors were able to put her hand back together.
Leah’s uncle, Max Derinskiy, who created a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses, told NBC News that she will remain in the hospital for a while, “and then a lot of physical therapy to hopefully get her hand functioning again.”
