A 30-year-old Atlanta, Georgia man was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami Sunday morning after he was bitten in the shoulder by a shark at Sombrero Key Light off Marathon in the Middle Keys. Witnesses reported seeing an 8- to 10-foot bull shark in the area.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reports: Andrew Charles Eddy had been snorkeling with family on a private boat when he was bitten around 10:30 a.m. He was taken to shore at Sombrero Beach, where Marathon Fire Rescue paramedics and sheriff’s deputies were waiting.
Eddy was airlifted via the Trauma Star air ambulance. His condition as of Sunday afternoon was not immediately clear. The injury to Eddy’s shoulder was described as severe.
Witnesses said Eddy was attacked almost immediately after entering the water. No one was fishing or chumming the water where the group was snorkeling. No other injuries were reported.
Sheriff Rick Ramsay praised everyone who responded to the incident, including those on the boat who immediately began first aid and CPR.
“This was a very rare medical crisis for the Florida Keys, but everyone came together — including those witnesses on the boat to 911 communicators to all our emergency responders — in order to ensure this victim received life-saving care,” Ramsay said.
