Girl, 9, Nearly Loses Her Hand Following Shark Attack in Florida

A 9-year-old girl was airlifted to the hospital to undergo emergency surgery to reattach her hand after she was attacked by a shark in Florida on Wednesday, June 10.

Leah Lendel’s hand was partly severed in the incident, but doctors worked to reattach it at a hospital, her uncle Max Derinskiy told NBC News.

“The doctors were able to do some miracles and put her hand back together,” Derinsky said. “She will be in the hospital for a while and then a lot of physical therapy to hopefully get her hand functioning again.”

Boca Grande Fire Chief C.W. Blosser said in a statement to NBC News that the believed shark bite occurred around 12 p.m. in the 2200 block of Shore Lane, though he declined to name the victim to respect the patient’s privacy.

The Lendel family said in a statement to NBC News Leah was snorkeling with her mother, Nadia, and two younger siblings in Boca Grande, about 100 miles south of Tampa, when she screamed.

Nadia Lendel looked over and saw her daughter’s hand was “torn mostly off” and covered in blood, according to the family’s statement. Leah eventually walked out of the water by herself, “most likely in a state of shock,” the family said.

Leah’s father was snorkeling nearby and swam as fast as possible to shore, and with the help of a group of construction workers who were on a lunch break at the time, they were able to make a tourniquet out of a towel and call 911, the family said.

Alfonso Tello, one of the construction workers, told NBC affiliate WBBH of Fort Myers, Florida, that at first, he thought the kids were just playing — until he heard the screams for help.

“When we see that little girl come in, out from the water, with no hand … gets me,” Tello said, trailing off. “Like everybody was in shock.”

EMS personnel arrived on the scene and Leah was airlifted to the hospital, the family said. Her father accompanied her on the flight, and once at the hospital, Leah underwent a long surgery, according to her family.

“They had to get arteries from her leg to the hand. Got the blood flow back to her hand. Install pins in bones. Still has open tissues. They will be monitoring her here for a week. But thank God she can move her fingers,” Nadia Lendel said, according to WBBH.

Florida is home to about 50% of shark bites in the U.S., and 30% of all attacks worldwide, though attacks decreased by about 33% in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the University of Florida.