Bull Shark Attack Leaves Texas Teen In Wheelchair With 'Too Many Stitches To Count'

A teenager on a family vacation in central Florida lost most of his calf and his ability to walk after a shark attack on Saturday.

Cody High, 15, of San Angelo, Texas, had been swimming in the water around 5 p.m. at Cocoa Beach, Florida, when he decided to make his way back to land. He then felt something tugging on his left leg, which turned out to be a 7-foot-long bull shark.

"I was about knee-deep when he got me, and I was walking back. I didn't see him at all," High told WOFL, a Fox affiliate in Orlando. "I saw blood everywhere, and I just knew something bad had happened. People were crying, my mom was probably by far one of the more petrified ones. She was screaming, 'Oh my god! What happened?'"

The shark ripped off most of his calf before it swam away. High was in the water at the time with his younger nieces and nephews when the shark latched on.

A lifeguard was not present at the time of the incident. There were no other injuries.

"It just felt like a hand squeezing as hard as possible. My older brother he likes pranking me a lot, and it really felt like he just grabbed me with his hand," High told WOFL.

High received assistance from a Cocoa Beach police officer who helped him get out of the water and onto the boardwalk. Brevard County Fire Rescue rushed High to Cape Canaveral Hospital for treatment.

After he was stabilized at the center, High was transported to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital where doctors performed emergency surgery.

"A gifted surgeon, Dr. Levi, stitched up Cody's leg. The doctor said there were too many stitches to count," High's cousin Janice Hotz said.

Doctors released High from the hospital on Monday. He requires a wheelchair to get around and it is unclear whether there will be more surgery.

As of Monday, $450 was raised on High's GoFundMe page which the family said would cover medical expenses.