A person who was bitten by a shark in the Florida Keys received a mid-air blood transfusion while they were being airlifted to a Miami hospital that may have helped save them, officials said.
The person had jumped into the water from a boat near Summerland Key Wednesday afternoon and surfaced with a large laceration on their leg, Monroe County Fire Rescue officials said.
The people who were with the victim on the boat applied pressure and a tourniquet to prevent more bleeding while they brought the person to a nearby restaurant where fire rescue crews were waiting.
The crews brought the victim to the Summerland Key airport so they could be brought by Trauma Star to a Miami hospital.
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While the victim was on the helicopter, they received a blood transfusion.
"According to Trauma Star staff, the blood transfusion onboard strongly contributed to the patient's status upon arrival in Miami," fire rescue officials said in a statement Friday.
Hospital staff confirmed that the person had been bitten by a shark based on the laceration, officials said.
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Officials didn't identify the victim.
Trauma Star helicopters have been providing whole blood transfusions onboard since May 2019.
