A teenage mother who survived the attack of a shark in California: "It's a miracle"

The mother of a teenager from southern California who was bitten by a shark Saturday praised her son's quick thought and the actions of three men nearby in the water for saving her life in a painful situation.

"I think it's a miracle, and I think Keane is a miracle," Ellie told Hayes at a press conference at the Rady Children's Hospital in La Jolla on Monday. He is very strong and is a survivor. "

Keane Webre-Hayes, 13, was 200 meters from Beacon Beach in Encinitas fishing for lobster when it was attacked. His mother watched from a parking lot on the cliffs above the beach while his son was calling for help.

The boy had a deep bite to the right ear and right side of the chest, shoulders, and back, but he was nevertheless willing to swim until he was able to help. man on a kayak nearby.

"We probably would have swam to the shore because the shark did not go ashore and (Keane) had vicious spirit around him and he knew that there was (a man ) in a kayak off shore, "Hayes said. It's incredible for me. "

Three men – a kayaker, a lifeguard and a police officer on rest – helped the boy in the water, bringing him back to the beach. He was then flown to the Rady Pediatric Hospital, where he was immediately operated on.

"I just want to thank the three people," said Hayes, "without what they did, we would have a completely different scenario."

"I started paddling towards him and there was a big old man, you know, there was blood behind him," said kayaker Chad Hammel at the press conference. "His whole back was open, the shark hit him in the collarbone, the shark's teeth put him on the cheek."

Webre-Hayes currently remains in the intensive care unit and is expected to fully recover. Despite what has happened, he plans to quickly return to the ocean.

"He wants to go back into the water," said his mother. "Today, someone has brought him a mask and a snorkel.He feels pretty determined at that time that he will come back there."

He said: "Mom, the chances are so much thinner at the second bite."

The wickedness of the Webre-Hayes attack is rare in this region.

"In the 30 years of experience we have between us, we are not aware of such an injury in this hospital," said Dr. Tim Fairbanks, Chief of Pediatric and Traumatology Surgery. at Rady Children's Hospital, at the press conference. .

According to witnesses, the shark appeared to be about 11 feet long. Experts analyze his DNA to see what kind of shark he was acting on.

The beach was closed for 48 hours after the attack but has since reopened, with no shark activity reported in the area.