Boy, 10, bitten in Florida shark attack has part of leg amputated, family says

A 10-year-old boy has had part of his leg amputated after he was attacked by a shark while on vacation with his family in the Florida Keys, his family said on Sunday.

Jameson Reeder Jr. was snorkeling with his parents and three siblings along a shallow reef when they believe an 8-foot bull shark landed a “crushing blow” below his knee, his uncle, Joshua Reeder, wrote in a Facebook post.

The incident happened around 4 p.m. Saturday at the popular Looe Key Reef, KeysNews.com reported.

The boy’s family, still on a boat, heard him yell for help as he held onto a noodle, according to Reeder. He said that his brother, Jameson’s father, jumped in to rescue his son.

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They applied a tourniquet to Jameson’s leg above the bite and waved down a nearby boat that had a nurse on board, Reeder said. 

Paramedics were waiting on the shore, where a helicopter airlifted the boy to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. However, Reeder said that doctors could not save Jameson’s leg.

“They had to remove/amputate from just below the knee to save his life as it was not operable from the damage the shark had caused,” Reeder wrote. “They said the shark made the decision for him and wasn’t anything they could do to save it. But his life was spared. Thank you Yeshua/Jesus!!!”

Reeder said Jameson, who is turning 11 in a couple of weeks, was out of surgery and resting.