Fisherman ‘lucky to be alive’ after being attacked by a bull shark in front of his children

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A Florida man was spearfishing off the coast of Key West this week when he was bitten by a shark in front of the horrified eyes of his two children.

The bull shark bit Jose Abreu Hernandez in the chest, back and chin on Monday, causing his two sons to scream in horror. A friend who was with the family entered the water and attacked the shark, hitting it several times with his speargun.

About 15 seconds later, the shark released its grip and swam away, leaving Hernandez, badly injured, behind and trying to comfort his sons.

“I say to my kids, ‘Hey dad, don’t die, don’t die,'” he told WSVN-TV. He replied, “Hey, don’t worry, that’s small, that’s nothing, that’s small.”

Hernandez was seriously injured and flown by helicopter to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami. According to a press release from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, officials described him as “awake and responsive at the time of the flight.”

After surgery, doctors were able to stop the bleeding from the wounds and put hundreds of stitches in, including one on his leg, which doctors were able to save. However, Hernandez still has months of rehabilitation ahead of him.

“He lost a lot of blood and had to undergo surgery and receive a blood transfusion,” his nephew Marcos Mendez wrote on a GoFundMe page to help with recovery costs. “The surgeon said he is lucky to be alive. However, it will be a long road to recovery before he can walk again and he will be unable to work for months.”

Of his goal of $12,000, nearly $2,800 has been raised through the GoFundMe campaign.

Hernandez is expected to begin physical therapy later this week. He told the television station that he is in good spirits and would like to return to spearfishing once he has recovered.

Florida has the highest number of shark bites in the world. Last year, 23 percent of unprovoked attacks occurred in the state.