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US Coast Guard rescues fisherman bitten by shark near Bahamas

Published:Tuesday | February 22, 2022 | 10:28 AM
In this image provided by the US Coast Guard, a Coast Guard Air Station Miami MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew rescues a man after he was bitten by a shark while fishing aboard a vessel near Bimini, Bahamas, on Monday, February 21, 2022. The man was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he was in stable condition. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

MIAMI (AP) — A fisherman who was bitten by a shark near the Bahamas was pulled to safety by a United States 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.”

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