Boy's Leg Partially Amputated After Florida Keys Shark Attack

FLORIDA KEYS — A 10-year-boy had his leg partially amputated after a shark attacked him off the Florida Keys over the weekend.

Jameson Reeder Jr. was bitten by what his family believes was an 8-foot bull shark while they were snorkeling around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, according to a Facebook post from his uncle.

The family applied a tourniquet to the bite wound and got the attention of a faster boat nearby, which took him and his mother to shore while a nurse on board tended to him. Paramedics were waiting for Reeder on land, and he and his mother were taken to Miami Children's Hospital. It took less than an hour for the helicopter to take off from the time of the attack, according to the uncle.

Doctors determined the wound from the bite was inoperable and amputated Reeder's leg from just below the knee. Reeder was out of surgery and resting by Sunday morning and in good spirits, according to the post.

A GiveSendGo fundraiser for Reeder's recovery raised more than its $50,000 goal in less than 24 hours.

"God is amazing, and his love is being poured out to the Reeder family by all of you in your prayers and financial support," a statement on the fundraiser said.

Reeder's father, Jameson Reeder Sr., is the founder of UrbanVillage, a missionary organization with a focus on large cities.

The number of shark attacks have leveled off over the last several years after rising for decades.

There were 73 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide in 2021, an increase from 52 in 2020 but in line with a five-year average of 72, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Of those, 47 occurred in the United States with all but five on the east coast.

Florida has consistently had the highest shark bite count among any geographic area for several decades, though deaths are becoming less frequent, according to the museum's International Shark Attack File.