Dallas woman Lindsay Bruns survives shark attack in Florida Keys
MIAMI, Fla. (CBSDFW.COM) – Crystal blue waters turned red during a Dallas family's annual trip to the Florida Keys when a shark bit a mother of two.
Lindsay Bruns, 35, is recovering following several surgeries at a Miami hospital. Her husband, Luke and two daughters are there and witnessed the June 29 shark attack.
"The Keys is a place they knew very well," according to Lindsay's best friend Chelsea Maresh. It's where the Bruns family goes every year "to escape and just enjoy family alone time of fishing and swimming."
They have visited the location where Lindsay was bitten many times.
Calling the aftermath trauma of incident "indescribable," Maresh said her friend's right leg was mangled. After Luke Bruns got his wife back into the boat, he tied a tourniquet to stop the massive bleeding.
But he knew his wife needed urgent medical care, according to Maresh, and after getting the bleeding under control started the 20 minute boat ride back to shore. On the way he called 911, quickly coordinating with emergency responders at a local dockside restaurant.
Once on-shore, it was apparent Lindsay had already lost a great deal of blood and needed surgery quickly. She was taken by air ambulance to a trauma center, said Maresh.
After hours of surgery the doctors said she would survive, but were unsure if she would be able to keep her leg. But after the first reconstructive surgery they were hopeful that she would keep her leg, but Lindsay still needed a third surgery to complete the second phase of reconstruction.
A GoFundMe account was set up to help pay the Bruns family pay for hospital expenses. According to the page, doctors said they're confident Lindsay will regain most function of her leg.
Maresh said the Bruns don't know what species of shark bit Lindsay, only that it was "large."
