Footage of a small shark biting off a man’s finger was shared Thursday on TikTok.
The video, from a family day out Sunday in Florida, showed a man, Brett Reeder, standing on a boat with his wife, Mandy, and their two young children, TMZ reported. The small(ish) 6-foot lemon shark can be seen swimming alongside the boat in the TikTok. Reeder reaches down to get his hook out of the shark’s gills, which is when the attack started, the outlet continued.
As he reached down, the shark started biting at his finger. It found a latch and held onto the digit as it spun around in the water twice, causing blood to spew from the finger, the video showed. “Damn it! F**k,” Reeder screamed before freeing himself.
“I lost my goddamn pinky!” he continued, stepping away from the side of the boat as his wife gasped in shock. The video cuts off as he steps toward the camera, but there appeared to be a lot of blood.
@reedermandyy tw:blood …..Play stupid games, win stupid prizes #floridakeys #sharkattack #lemonshark #sandbar #sharkfishing #takemystronghand @breeder1459 ♬ Oh No – Kreepa
His wife said Reeder had to drive the boat for more than 25 minutes back to the shore as he bled profusely following the attack, TMZ reported. The family had been out fishing when the attack occurred and that was the last shark they caught that day, Reeder told followers in a follow-up video.
“I got unlucky when he spun around,” Reeder told his followers. He said he heard a pop when the finger was removed, according to the video. Thankfully, a family member was there to apply a tourniquet, he explained. (RELATED: Terrifying Shark Washes Ashore In Florida)
Reeder was flown to a hospital in a helicopter, where he was administered medical care, including a unit of blood, according to the video. He was in surgery later that night and will find out whether he’s lost the finger forever later in the week, TMZ reported.