The father of a Florida teenager who lost part of her leg in a harrowing shark attack said she bravely tried to fight off the monster – even throwing a punch.
“She’s been through more than I could ever imagine, but she’s a trooper,” Shane Bethea said of her daughter, Addison Bethea, on Facebook.
“Please pray for her and the difficult days ahead.”
The shaken father said Addison was paddling at Keaton Beach in Taylor County in shallow water when the 9-foot predator suddenly attacked.
“The shark bit her once and then attacked her again on her right thigh,” he wrote. “She tried to poke him in the eye and punch him, but he wouldn’t let go.”
Addison Bethea poses with her father Shane.Facebook/Shane Bethea
Then her brother Rhett gallantly stepped in to help, punching the shark until it finally loosened its grip, Bethea wrote.
The brave brother then dragged his suffering sibling into the boat of a passing stranger.
“Rhett applied a tourniquet to her leg to minimize blood loss from the massive injury and kept her awake, ultimately saving her life,” he wrote.
Addison Bethea. The shark attack happened at Keaton Beach in Taylor County, Florida. Facebook/Addison Bethea
Bethea was then airlifted to a hospital in Tallahassee, where she now faces a long road to recovery.
“The nerve in the back of her thigh was severely damaged,” Bethea said. “There is an unreal amount of damage in the hip area. The doctors are not sure at this point about the condition of the leg and want to examine it day by day to see what will need to be done.
Addison was sedated until Friday morning, when she regained consciousness and called her parents on her phone — and quickly asked for a Wendy’s frosty, Bethea said.
Shane and Addison Bethea pose together. Facebook/Shane Bethea
“She was in good spirits and making jokes about the shark fight,” he said. “She’s by no means out of the woods, but she’s alive and that’s the most important thing to us. We appreciate all the support and Addison wanted to say thank you.’
Addison’s mother, Michelle Murphy, also posted on Facebook about her daughter’s terrifying ordeal.
“She’s a tough cookie and she’s got a long road ahead of her, but she’s alive and that’s all this mom cares about,” she said, adding that Addison is surrounded by friends and family at her bedside.
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