On June 2, 2022, a 17 -year-old girl named Addison Bethea was bitten by a nine-foot-long shark at a Florida beach.
The attack happened in the northwestern part of Keaton Beach, in Florida’s Taylor County. According to the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, the 17-year-old was scalloping in water approximately 6 feet deep near Grassy Island, just off Keaton Beach, and was bitten by the 9 ft. shark.
Bethea’s brother, Rhett Willingham, is a firefighter and an emergency medical technician. When he saw the shark, he jumped in the water and tried to pull Addison away from it. But the shark kept on clamping its jaws on her leg. Willingham kicked away from the shark while calling for help. Once Bethea was safely aboard a boat, Willingham used some rope as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
Bethea got hurt very badly on her right leg, so she had to be airlifted to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Doctors performed emergency surgery and were able to stabilize her leg. Bethea had to get a second surgery because her right leg got injured in the soft tissue.
According to ABC News, the hospital said “Addison has a long journey to recovery, but she was in good spirits today, surrounded by her family in Tallahassee Memorial’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.”
Many people don’t get hurt by shark bites. Luckily Bethea is one of these people, and is making a great recovery with her leg.
The attack happened in the northwestern part of Keaton Beach, in Florida’s Taylor County. According to the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, the 17-year-old was scalloping in water approximately 6 feet deep near Grassy Island, just off Keaton Beach, and was bitten by the 9 ft. shark.
Bethea’s brother, Rhett Willingham, is a firefighter and an emergency medical technician. When he saw the shark, he jumped in the water and tried to pull Addison away from it. But the shark kept on clamping its jaws on her leg. Willingham kicked away from the shark while calling for help. Once Bethea was safely aboard a boat, Willingham used some rope as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
Bethea got hurt very badly on her right leg, so she had to be airlifted to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Doctors performed emergency surgery and were able to stabilize her leg. Bethea had to get a second surgery because her right leg got injured in the soft tissue.
According to ABC News, the hospital said “Addison has a long journey to recovery, but she was in good spirits today, surrounded by her family in Tallahassee Memorial’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.”
Many people don’t get hurt by shark bites. Luckily Bethea is one of these people, and is making a great recovery with her leg.
