MIAMI, Fla — A fisherman who was bitten by a shark near the Bahamas was pulled to safety by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew after his mates tightened a tourniquet around his arm.
The crew from Air Station Miami lifted the man from a fishing boat near Bimini on Monday afternoon and took him to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he was in stable condition, an agency news release said.
The 51-year-old man's mates on the Shear Water fishing boat called the Coast Guard around 12:50 p.m. Monday, saying he was losing blood so they placed a tourniquet around his arm.
“This was the best possible outcome to a truly terrifying situation,” said Sean Connett, command duty officer at Coast Guard District Seven. “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.”