MIAMI, Fla. — The United States Coast rescued a man from a boat Monday after he was bitten by a shark while fishing near the Bahamas.
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The crew of the “Shear Water” fishing boat contacted the Coast Guard’s Miami sector just before 1 p.m. reporting a 51-year-old man who had been bitten on the arm by a shark.
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The crew advised the Coast Guard that they’d applied a tourniquet to help stop the man’s bleeding.
#BREAKING @USCG Air Station Miami air crews rescued a 51-year-old man, Monday, after he was bitten by a shark while fishing aboard a vessel near #Bimini, #Bahamas. #SearchAndRescue
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) February 22, 2022
More here: https://t.co/Ee7XiDQ06z pic.twitter.com/ocuhDrdQvo
Coast Guard watchstanders and a flight surgeon from the Coast Guard’s Seventh District joined a conference call where a medical evacuation of the man was recommended and a Coast Guard helicopter and airplane were sent to the scene.
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The helicopter crew arrived on scene, lifted the man from the boat and transferred him to emergency medical crews who were waiting for him at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where he was stabilized.
The plane assisted with the helicopter crew’s communications.
“This was the best possible outcome to a truly terrifying situation,” Coast Guard District Seven command duty officer Sean Connett said. “This individual was fortunate a fellow crew member was able to render aid prior to the Coast Guard’s arrival, which allowed for a quick extraction from the vessel.”
Watch the rescue below:
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