An 11-year-old girl was swimming with her cousin at Huguenot Park when she was bitten by a shark Saturday.
The family tells Action News Jax that the girl was in waist-deep water when she was bitten on her back and arm around 5:45 p.m.
A nurse who was nearby helped the family cover her wounds as her uncle flagged down a patrol truck. The girl has five teeth marks on her back and a large laceration that severed a tendon in her left arm.
She was taken to UF Health Jacksonville by ambulance and spent nine hours in the trauma unit. She also got stitches on her hand and fingers, her family said.
Family members said she is expected to have surgery sometime this week.
Despite her injuries, the family said she is in high spirits. She gave first responders high fives with her uninjured hand, the family said.
She is at home until an orthopedic surgeon can operate on her.
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