# A shark ripped a kids arm off...who's the Hero??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 11, 2001, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-shark-ripped-a-kids-arm-off-whos-the-hero/72155 "2001-07-11T23:50:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2001, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-shark-ripped-a-kids-arm-off-whos-the-hero/72155/41 "2001-07-14T15:42:44Z")
The uncle was a goddamn hero, plain and simple. No, he didn’t do all the right things. No, he is not a trained and experienced paramedic or trauma specialist. Yes, maybe the best thing was to let the shark go, and try to stop the boy’s bleeding more. I’m sure when _I_ see a shark bite someone’s arm off, I’ll be very sane and rational in my decision process…not. He is a **real** person. A person who tried to do something under **extreme** and terribly fast-moving circumstances. Criticizing his actions like I’ve been reading here seems in poor taste at best. And I’ve seen plenty of cases of trained paramedics and safety personnel panic in extreme circumstances as well. And even though they are trained, and paid to be “The Professional”, I still don’t hold it against them if they panic or lose control in an extreme situation. Human beings are far from perfect. So, in response to this comment by **Mando Jo** w.r.t. paramedics: > [@](#): > > They get accused of being cowards, or at least never get called heros, for following their heads rather than their hearts not by me, or around me, they don’t. They are not cowards, not stupid, and they are good people. Like the uncle. And comments about a perceived lack of intelligence of the uncle seem really mean-spirited, do they not? Although, this by **andros** made me smile: > [@](#): > > He could be Lenny surrounded by rabbits for all I give a shit–if he were my brother risking his life for my son I’d spend the rest of my life kissing the ground he walks on. > > Hero? Fuck yeah. Amen. I fucking hope to whatever God/Gods there are that I can show half as much courage as this person did, should I ever be in a situation like that. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2001, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-shark-ripped-a-kids-arm-off-whos-the-hero/72155/42 "2001-07-14T20:47:46Z")
I agree with **Anthracite** and others who have named the uncle as the hero. There’s no question in my mind that when faced with a terrible situation, this man acted quickly and bravely. Although I understand the points raised by **threemae** , I’m not surprised the man went after the shark to get the arm. “If a limb is severed, save the limb! The doctors can reattach it!” is an idea that floats around in most people’s minds. I think the context is usually for when someone slices off the tip of his finger in a paper cutter, not so much a shark attack, but it has become a fairly common piece of first aid “wisdom.” But I also think it _is_ appropiate for people who really know what they’re doing, like **threemae** , to share information on what might have been a better response. I know it’s impossible to predict how any given person will react in such a dire and extreme situation, but personally, I would rather at least have the knowledge of the best course of action somewhere in my memory banks. I might not be thinking clearly, but at least I have a chance of remembering it if I’ve learned it in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-shark-ripped-a-kids-arm-off-whos-the-hero/72155/43 "2001-07-16T16:38:16Z")
One more point. You have to admire the uncle for the way he is handling himself after the episode. He seems to be completely focused on his nephew’s recovery, and has refused requests for interviews probably numbering in the hundreds by now. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-shark-ripped-a-kids-arm-off-whos-the-hero/72155/44 "2001-07-16T16:55:59Z")
And let’s not forget the second hero, the so-far anonymous guy who joined the uncle in the surf to help wrestle the shark to shore. That guy didn’t even have a nephew at stake, so his assistance was an act of true altruism. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2001, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-shark-ripped-a-kids-arm-off-whos-the-hero/72155/45 "2001-07-17T03:58:00Z")
From [http://www.nationalpost.com](http://www.nationalpost.com) , I just thought it was worth mentioning: **Shark strikes where boy was bitten** The Associated Press PENSACOLA, Fla. - A shark bit a surfer yesterday a few kilometres from the area where another shark nearly killed a boy this month. The 48-year-old surfer, whose name was not released, suffered puncture wounds when the shark bit him on the leg. He said he had noticed small fish and a large shadow below him before the attack, but did not think anything was wrong. He was hospitalized and listed in good condition. Also yesterday, doctors treating eight-year-old Jessie Arbogast who was attacked at the Gulf Islands National Seashore, said the boy may not have suffered brain damage despite the severe loss of blood during the incident. His arm was bitten off and he suffered a deep wound to his right thigh. Jessie sometimes appears to understand what’s going on around him, according to the medical team that reattached his arm after the attack by a 90-kilogram bull shark. “Every day we seem to progress a little bit further,” said Dr. Ian Rogers, the boy’s chief surgeon, in an interview yesterday on NBC’s Today show. Dr. Juliet DeCampos said the boy appears to be responding to family and doctors after days of being in a light coma. “Yesterday was the first time that one of the family members told us that he squeezed his hand in response to being asked, so that was very good news,” she said. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-shark-ripped-a-kids-arm-off-whos-the-hero/72155.md?page=2)