a day ago
9-year-old girl recovering at Tampa hospital after hand torn off by shark, family says
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 9-year-old girl who nearly lost her hand in an apparent shark attack Wednesday is recovering from surgery at a Tampa hospital, according to a report from NBC affiliate WBBH.
Leah Lendel was snorkeling in the water off a Boca Grande beach with her family at the time of the incident.
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Her mother, who was just feet away, said her daughter went underwater to snorkel, then came up and screamed. The girl's arm was covered in blood and her hand was nearly completely severed from her wrist.
They rushed back to shore, where a nearby construction crew jumped in to help. Boca Grande fire officials confirmed that the injuries were consistent with a shark bite, but first responders did not see the shark when they arrived.
According to Boca Grande fire officials, Leah was flown to Tampa General Hospital, where she underwent a 6-hour surgery. Her mother said surgeons managed to reattach her hand.
'They had to get arteries from her leg to the hand. Got the blood flow back to her hand. Install pins in bones. Still has open tissues. They will be monitoring her here for a week. But thank God she can move her fingers,' Leah's mother, Nadia Lendel, told WBBH.
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