Key Largo boy makes 'remarkable recovery' after blacktip shark attack

Richard Burrows was in the water with his father and 10-year-old sister Rose near Horseshoe Reef off Ocean Reef when the shark attacked just before 3:30 p.m. Monday. The boy sustained multiple bites to his leg, including above the knee, and to his arm—injuries serious enough to require immediate surgery at the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami after a Trauma Star helicopter airlifted him from Garden Cove Marina. Doctors at Jackson Memorial detailed the significant medical challenges they faced treating the young patient, but the prognosis proved encouraging. Richard was discharged Wednesday after what hospital physicians called a "remarkable recovery," according to CBS News Miami. Key Largo Fire Rescue and a nearby dive vessel operated by Horizon Divers assisted in getting the boy to safety and coordinating his emergency transport. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were notified of the incident. While the exact species wasn't initially confirmed by authorities, doctors identified the attacker as a blacktip shark. Richard's path forward includes physical therapy beginning in a few weeks, with doctors projecting he should be able to return to playing soccer within six to eight weeks.