BOSTON (WHDH) - Doctors at Tufts Medical Center are saying a man attacked by a shark off of Cape Cod is lucky to be alive.
William Lytton went through six life-saving surgeries after a shark bit him in the leg and torso while he swam in about eight to 10 feet of water off Truro on Aug. 15.
Surgeons extracted shark teeth fragments from Lytton, leaving Chief of Orthopedic Trauma Surgery Dr. Scott Ryan in shock.
“I have to say I’ve never seen a shark bite injury like this before,” he said.
Lytton says he punched the shark in its gills to escape its grasp before being rescued.
“He is certainly lucky to be alive,” Ryan said. “The injuries were severe to his leg. I think some of it was from his quick thinking, freeing himself from the shark which was very impressive and that probably ended up saving his leg.”
Lytton suffered puncture wounds to the bone, missing major blood vessels and nerves by a few milliliters, doctors said. It took doctors three to four hours to stitch up the massive wound.
He opened up earlier this week about the terrifying moments from Spaulding Rehab in Charlestown, telling the Associated Press, “The pain was really excruciating. I remember the helicopter landing and then nothing for the next two days.”
Doctors expect Lytton will make a near full recovery.
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