Recently released body camera footage captured a distressing moment when a 9-year-old girl, Leah Rendell, was bitten while snorkeling off the coast of Florida.
On Wednesday, Leah was swimming near Boca Grande with her family when a shark suddenly struck, nearly severing her hand. Reports indicate that the incident occurred around noon.
The video reveals medics surrounding Leah, reassuring her that she was “very strong” and “brave” as they prepared to transport her to an ambulance.
The footage also showed her mother, Nadia Rendell, visibly upset as she recounted the incident to police.
“I looked over and saw her hand move,” her mother recalled, raising her own hand in disbelief. “Blood was everywhere.”
In a panic, Nadia shouted for her husband and rushed to grab her baby, realizing the severity of the situation involved a shark.
Leah’s father hurried to help her while a passerby quickly fashioned a makeshift tourniquet to stem the bleeding.
A nearby worker, Reinel Lugo, recounted the chaotic scene, describing a family in distress with children in the water, and recalling seeing a shark above them.
“She was walking out with her hand bleeding, and a coworker placed a towel on it,” Lugo shared, noting he called 911 shortly after.
Leah was airlifted to a hospital in Tampa, where she underwent six hours of surgery that successfully saved her hand.
Nadia, who has a significant following on Instagram, shared an update, noting that Leah was able to move all her fingers two days post-surgery.
“This is truly a miracle,” she said alongside a photo of Leah in her hospital room.
Leah’s uncle, Max Delinky, mentioned that she would remain hospitalized for some time and would likely need extensive physical therapy to recover her hand’s functionality.
In response to the attack, Delinky initiated an online fundraiser to assist the family with medical expenses. Experts believe the shark involved was a bull shark, which tend to be active during this season due to mating and the abundance of fish in the area.
Bull sharks can grow between 7 to 11 feet in length.
