“He is lucky to still be alive”

A Florida fisherman nearly lost a leg when a large bull shark attacked him as his two young children watched in horror.

Jose Abreu Hernandez was spearfishing with his friend and two sons off the coast of Key West on Monday afternoon when a huge bull shark attacked Hernandez, biting him multiple times in the chest, back and chin – and nearly severing his left leg.

As Hernandez’s children screamed in fear, Hernandez’s friend bravely jumped into the water and attacked the shark, hitting it repeatedly with his harpoon. After about 15 seconds, the shark released its grip and swam away. Hernandez was left critically injured – and struggled to comfort his traumatized sons.

“I say to my kids, ‘Hey dad, don’t die, don’t die,'” Hernandez told WSVN-TV. “I said, ‘Hey, don’t worry, this is small, this is nothing, this is small.'”

But Hernandez was seriously injured. He was flown by helicopter to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami. Hernandez was “awake and responsive at the time of helicopter transport,” the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

Hernandez was immediately taken to surgery, where doctors stopped the bleeding and gave him hundreds of stitches. They were able to save his leg, but he faces several months of rehabilitation.

“He lost a lot of blood and had to have surgery and a blood transfusion,” his nephew Marcos Mendez wrote on GoFundMe. “The surgeon said he was 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.”

Florida is the shark bite capital of the world, according to a report from the Museum of Natural History and Florida University. Last year, 23% of the world’s unprovoked shark attacks occurred in the Sunshine State.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, shark activity in Florida waters typically peaks between April and October.

Hernandez told WSVN he is in good spirits and plans to return to spearfishing after recovering from his injuries, and will begin physical therapy later this week.