Doctors have had to amputate part of a 10-year-old boy’s leg following a shark attack in Florida. Jameson Reeder Jr. was attacked by a shark while snorkeling in the famous Florida Keys holiday region on Saturday, authorities confirmed. According to his uncle Joshua Reeder, the boy was traveling with his parents and three siblings in a boat and then went to one shallow snorkeling. The boy was then attacked by a bull shark around two and a half meters long, the uncle wrote on the online network Facebook. The father was able to save his son from the water and tied off his injured leg.
The family flagged down a faster boat that took Jameson back to shore, from where the boy was flown to Miami Children’s Hospital in a rescue helicopter. There, doctors were able to save the child’s life, but had to amputate his injured leg below the knee. A call for donations from the family had exceeded the goal of $ 50,000 (49,000 euros) on Tuesday followingnoon.
Shark attacks always make headlines. However, the risk of being attacked by a shark is very small. According to the Florida Museum, there were 73 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide last year. In the United States, most attacks take place on the Florida coast.
More on the topic: The Myth of the Killer Shark
