A 12-year-old boy from Friendswood, Texas, was attacked by a shark while swimming with his older brother during a family vacation in the Bahamas. Parker Roll was in the waters off Staniel Cay in the Exuma Cays on Tuesday when an estimated eight-to-10-foot shark attacked him.
Parker and his 16-year-old brother, Jack, had ventured into a bay while the rest of their family remained on the boat. Moments before the attack, Parker mistook the approaching shark for a rock formation. "I just hear this ear-piercing scream, and the clearest blue water turned to the murkiest red," Jack told Click2Houston.
Parker described the attack as feeling like a knife stabbing and twisting. He managed to swim toward shore before the pain became overwhelming and discovered he could see bone in his leg. Jack quickly removed Parker's swimsuit and used it to tightly wrap his brother's leg to stop the bleeding. Another person on the excursion helped ward off the shark until the boat crew arrived.
It is unclear what species of shark attacked Parker, but tiger sharks, hammerheads, and bull sharks are known to inhabit the area during the summer. The family noted that Parker and Jack had swum farther out than the rest of the group.
Due to the remote location, approximately 60 miles offshore, there was no immediate cell service or radio signal. It took about 45 minutes for the boat crew to regain service to call for help. Parker was carried along the shoreline by rescuers while keeping his leg elevated above the water.
Upon docking, an ambulance was waiting for Parker, who received treatment for severe injuries to his leg and foot. His mother, Katherine, stated he required approximately 30 to 40 stitches. Doctors informed the family that without Jack's swift actions to control the bleeding, the shark attack could have been fatal and Parker could have lost his leg. Parker is expected to make a full recovery.