A 12-year-old Texas boy feels lucky to be alive after being bitten by a shark last week in the Bahamas.
“I just thought I was gonna die,” Parker Roll told Good Morning America.
According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the incident occurred Tuesday, June 23, in Staniel Cay, a small, sandy island in the Exuma Cays.
Parker’s 16-year-old brother, Jack Roll, was the one who first spotted the shark.
Although the 16-year-old thought he saw a nurse shark, which tend to be docile, the brothers said they now believe it was actually a reef shark, about 8 to 10 feet long.
Jack heard “an ear-piercing scream” and saw the shark had latched onto Parker’s leg.
“I remember looking down, and I just see this head, and this head’s well over a foot wide,” Parker recalled.
Jack quickly jumped into action after seeing the shark bite his brother.
“I immediately took off my swimsuit, because I was like, ‘Oh, we have to stop that bleeding,'” he said, adding that he managed to wrap the suit around Parker’s leg before carrying him to the beach.
The boys’ other brother, Adam Roll, alerted boat crew members.
The crew then helped carry Parker back to the boat and transported the boys back to shore, about 60 miles away.
Once on shore, Parker was transferred to an ambulance and taken to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery and received multiple stitches.
Parker said his toe was injured but his leg was intact.
“I definitely consider myself very lucky, as that shark could’ve easily taken my leg off,” Parker said.
According to Parker’s parents, doctors said they expect and are optimistic that Parker will be able to make a full recovery.