The girl who survived the attack of a shark, spoke about the fight against a predator

Addison Bethe, 17, was hunting scallops off Keaton Beach, Florida, when the shark attacked her. The girl survived and told how she managed to escape, reports CNN.

Photo: Shutterstock

“I didn’t really know exactly what to do, but I knew I had to hit them on the nose to get them to back off, but I couldn’t get close to her nose,” the girl said. “So I just started punching her in the face and then I poked her in the eyes and tried to pry her off with my fingers and then she bit me.”

The girl called for help, and her brother Rhett Willingham, a firefighter, answered the call.

“I heard her scream as if something scared her,” he said. “I looked and didn’t see her.” Then she came out of the water and I saw the shark, blood and everything, so I swam over there and took the shark away.”

After fighting the shark, Willingham dragged his sister into a boat, put a tourniquet on her leg to stop the blood loss, and got her back to dry land as quickly as possible.

The siblings recounted this on July 4 at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where Addison was being treated for injuries.

On the subject: In Long Island, a shark attacked a rescuer and bit him on the chest

The Taylor County Sheriff's Office confirmed in a statement on social media that the juvenile "was bitten by a shark while fishing for scallops near Grassi Island in a depth of about 1,5m." The office said the shark was about 2,7m long.

The bite caused "destructive soft tissue damage to her right leg," according to a statement from Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH). "The TMH trauma team stabilized her and a trauma surgeon performed emergency surgery to restore blood flow to her leg," hospital officials said.

The injuries appear to have had little effect on Addison's mood. Surrounded by plush toy sharks in her hospital bed, the teen seemed optimistic, even as she revealed that she was scheduled to have her leg amputated above the knee on July 5.

“Eventually I will feel better,” she said. - Honestly, I'm looking forward to it. I'm tired of sitting in bed all the time."
“Anyone who knows me knows I have a good sense of humor about everything, so yeah, I just love toy sharks,” she said. - I think it's funny. Just to add a little positivity to the situation.”

In a Facebook post, her father said she was in a good mood and was "making jokes about beating up a shark."
“The first thing she asked for was ice cream,” he said. “She's been through things I can hardly imagine, but she's a soldier.” Please pray for her and the challenges she faces. This is important for us".

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York.

Willingham said it was "definitely not something I ever expected to see, but to see her in a good mood now is a blessing."

As for her plans for the future, Addison is not scared: she plans to return to the water as soon as she recovers.

“I mean, sharks have always been there, it’s just that this particular shark attacked me that day,” the girl said. — I lived 17 years without a shark attack. I agree to return."

Read also on ForumDaily:

In Florida, a man's hand was torn off by fireworks: doctors could not sew it back

A poisonous centipede climbed into the bed of a resident of Texas: scientists say that due to the heat there will be more and more such cases

'It's part of my redemption': Texan on death row wants to donate a kidney before he dies

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.