23-year-old Australian surfer, Kai McKenzie, lost his leg while fighting off a shark on a Port Macquarie beach last Tuesday.
McKenzie has since undergone surgery to have his limb reattached. His leg washed up on shore shortly after the attack and locals put it on ice.
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It was suspected a three-metre great white shark attacked him. The incident occurred at a remote beach on the New South Wales mid-north coast.
After paddling to shore, a quick-thinking off-duty police officer used his dog’s leash to stem the bleeding.
NSW Ambulance Service’s local duty manager Kirran Mowbray said the cop watched the incident unfold and rushed to help.
“He used the lead off the dog as a tourniquet to wrap around the young man’s leg and essentially saved his life until the paramedics got there,” she said.
Mowbray said the young surfer was, “calm and able to talk to us – he was completely with it.”
McKenzie is a sponsored surfer who had only recently returned to the water after fracturing his neck.
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