Nadia, a mother of five, was visibly distraught in the footage, tearfully recounting the incident to police. “I looked over and just saw her move her hand like that,” she said, gesturing with her hand in the air. “Her hand was hanging, there was blood everywhere.” She described screaming for her husband to help and gathering her other children to safety, realizing a shark was responsible for the attack.
A witness, Raynel Lugo, a local worker, described the horrifying moment to WINK News. “Somebody was screaming, ‘Help, help, help!’ I saw a shark right on top of the lady and little kid,” Lugo said. He noted that Leah was bleeding profusely, and a co-worker used a towel to stem the bleeding while he called 911. Witnesses reported the shark was approximately 2.4 meters long.
Leah underwent a six-hour surgery to save her hand, a procedure that involved grafting arteries from her leg to restore blood flow and installing pins to stabilize the bones. Remarkably, she can now move all her fingers, which her mother called “truly a miracle.” Nadia shared that Leah’s tissues remain open, and she will be monitored in the hospital for at least a week.
Leah’s uncle, Max Derinskiy, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical expenses, noting that Leah faces a long recovery with extensive physical therapy to regain hand function. “The doctors worked miracles and were able to put her hand back together,” he told NBC News.
The Lendel family released a statement through the hospital, expressing gratitude for the support: “We want to say thank you to everyone that is praying for our sweet Leah. We are thankful for the quick response of everyone that was on scene, the construction workers and residents that ran out to help, and the first responders and all the doctors/nurses that are doing everything to help our girl.”
The incident has left the family and community shaken, but they remain hopeful for Leah’s recovery as she begins her challenging journey toward healing.