Addison Bethea was scalloping near Big Grassy Island when the attack happened, according to Taylor County deputies. The family said the shark bit her multiple times, and it would not let loose.
It was Rhett Willingham, her firefighter brother, who jumped in to literally fight off the shark and likely saved her life, according to a press release from Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare.
Rhett put a tourniquet on her leg to minimize blood loss to the massive injury and kept her awake, and once the boat got back to Keaton Beach, she was flown to TMH for emergency surgeries.
TMH's release says Bethea will go through a second surgery Saturday to evaluate the damage to her leg and determine what treatment options are best to move forward with. The goal is to save her leg.
Tyler Bowling, program manager for the Florida Museum's International Shark Attack File, said that they are in the primary stages of the investigation but he can confirm that this is the first shark attack recorded in Taylor County.
Bowling said he doesn't want this attack to scare people away from the ocean.
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