FL swimmer attacked in the water

MIAMI, Fla. (WSVN) -- A swimmer was attacked in the water near Miami and was raced to the hospital.

The screams from the water drew crowds to the shoreline. A witness, Hilario Herrera, knew he had to act quickly. He jumped in to the water and pulled the victim on to the sand.

“He was yelling, he was yelling, ‘help me,’ ‘help me,’” said Herrera. “And then I see the man swimming on his back and I see the pool of blood around him.

Herrera said the man’s calf was cut, with muscle protruding from the laceration, as well as a cut below the Achilles.

To stop the bleeding, Herrera used his shirt and belt as a tourniquet. The man was taken from the beach on a backboard as his wife and young daughter watched.

“The mom, I guess, was trying to pull her daughter away because when she saw what was happening she started screaming,” said Herrera.

The man is being treated at Jackson Memorial hospital. Officials said their best guess is the man was bitten by either a shark or a barracuda.