[imagesource: NSW Police]

Doctors are racing to see if they can reattach the severed leg of a surfer that washed up on an Australian beach after a tragic shark bite.

Kai McKenzie was surfing near Port Macquarie in New South Wales (NSW) on Tuesday when a three-metre great white shark took a chunk out of him.

Just seconds after being bitten, the surfer miraculously managed to fight off the massive shark and catch a wave back to shore, where an off-duty police officer used a makeshift tourniquet to stem his bleeding, according to authorities.

Not too long into thinking he would have to be without his precious limb forever, his leg washed up and was put on ice by locals before being taken to the hospital, where a medical team is now assessing surgery options.

Image: 9News Australia / Facebook

The 23-year-old sponsored surfer remains in serious but stable condition according to emergency services, who have thanked the off-duty officer walking his dog for his rapid response to the incident.

“He used the lead off his dog as a tourniquet… and essentially saved his life until the paramedics got there,” said NSW Ambulance’s Kirran Mowbray via BBC.

Miss Mowbray described McKenzie as “calm” and “able to talk” following the attack.

“He’s just a really brave and courageous young man,” she added.

McKenzie, along with his severed leg, was rushed to a local hospital shortly after the incident, before being flown to the John Hunter Hospital – which is a major trauma centre – in Newcastle some 200 kilometres away.

The keen surfer had only recently returned to the ocean after suffering a significant neck injury which forced him to take time off from the sport, according to local media reports.

 

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It wasn’t immediately clear if the surgery had been a success. A GoFundMe page set up to help cover medical costs has already received more than $116,000 in donations since the attack.

Image: 9News Australia / Facebook

[source:bbc]