A Florida man who was bitten by a shark August 23 in Key West is grateful several people rushed to help him when he needed it most.
David Daniel of Silver Springs was walking in shallow water after fishing when he realized there was a shark nearby, Click Orlando reported Thursday.
“I turned around and saw it swimming along the coastline of a sandbar. Then he turned and just beelined right for me like a movie,” he recalled of the tense moment.
Daniel believes the creature was six or seven feet long and said “we were looking eyeball to eyeball” as the shark attacked and took a chunk out of his foot.
However, the individuals who were nearby and ran to help him when the incident happened turned out to be nurses and medical personnel who knew exactly how to stop Daniel from bleeding out by using a tourniquet.
“By the grace of God, I was lucky enough the boat next to us docked up and was full of nurses and medics,” he stated. The Orlando article said he was later flown to a hospital in Miami-Dade County.
According to the Key West Police Department, the shark’s jaws caused an “arterial bleed,” per Keys News.
Now, Daniel is recovering after two surgeries and feeling better about the entire situation, according to WSVN-TV.
“Dave, originally from Glenside, PA, has called Silver Springs, FL home for the past 10 years. He works hard as an exterminator and is the kind of person who supports himself and those around him,” a GoFundMe created to help him with medical expenses read.
“Right now, Dave is expected to be unable to walk for 6 to 8 weeks and will need extensive physical therapy, with months away from work while he heals. Because he does not have health insurance, this sudden emergency has created an overwhelming financial burden on top of the physical and emotional toll of recovery. Donations will help cover medical expenses, physical therapy, living expenses, and other costs while Dave is unable to work,” the site continued.
Daniel said the nurses who rushed to his aid “were like angels coming out of nowhere.”
