Ben Gerring is fighting for his life after a shark bit off his leg in Western Australia. Photos: Facebook
A surfer in Western Australia is fighting for his life after being attacked by a shark. According to witnesses, Ben Gerring was surfing at Falcon Beach in the late afternoon when a shark attacked him from behind and tore most of his leg off.
Gerring, a 29-year-old heavy equipment operator, was surfing at a spot called Gearies when he was attacked. About 20 other surfers were in the water with him at the time, including his friend Brian Williams, who is the president of the Mandurah Boardriders Club. “He was right out the back looking to get a big wave, one of the set waves that had been coming through during the day,” Williams recounted to ABC. “He’d sort of paddled out the back, sort of past the pack slightly. And next thing all hell broke loose and they were trying to bring him in.”
Williams assisted in the rescue. “It’s pretty harrowing seeing somebody you know lying there motionless, hoping that everything’s going to be OK,” he said. “It was quite full-on to see a fellow surfer and someone you know quite well not doing too good.”
After the attack, two longboarders paddled out and brought the victim to shore, where rescuers began working on him. Nathan Hondros, who works for the Mandurah Mail, talked to Radio 6PR at the time. “We’ve got the bloke out of the water,” he said. “He seems to have lost a leg from above the knee and it looks like ambulance crews are trying to revive him … it’s not looking good.”
About an hour after he was attacked, Gerring was rushed via ambulance to Peel Health Campus, where he was listed as critical. Soon after, he was transferred to Royal Perth Hospital in a helicopter. The city of Mandurah closed the beach for an unspecified amount of time, and Gerring has received an outpouring of support.
Best wishes to Ben for a quick recovery.
