Shark attack survivor tells tale
2006-07-26
by Brent Tolman
of The Daily Times Staff
``What comes to mind when one goes on family vacation?''
The question was posed by Craig Hutto to Maryville Kiwanis at Green Meadow Country Club Tuesday.
His own answer was a tale of pain, courage and determination.
For Craig last summer, a week before his 17th birthday, his vacation included being attacked by a shark and having his leg amputated.
The story begins on a Friday, June 24, 2005, with Craig starting on a road trip to Florida from his home of Lebanon near Nashville as part of one of his family's ``field trips.'' Over the course of the weekend, Craig fishes and swims with his brother Brian and, ironically enough, eats at a restaurant called Sharkey's.
The attack occurs Monday morning, June 27, while Craig is fishing with his brother in the surf off the Florida Panhandle at Cape San Blas, a narrow strip of land extending into the Gulf of Mexico.
``The plan for the day was just to hang out and relax,'' Craig said.
After his brother catches a large fish, the two start walking out toward a sandbar and reach a gully with Brian standing 10 feet to Craig's right.
``That's when I felt something bump my leg,'' Craig said.
At first he hopes it is just another kid playing a joke on him, but the next bump is a shark biting down on his right leg.
``The best way to describe it is an intense shaking pressure and not necessarily pain,'' Craig said. ``People say it was 6 to 8 feet and it was a bull shark.''
As he fights his way toward shore, his brother Brian begins punching the shark to try and make it release Craig. When he reaches down to try and fend off the shark, Craig's hands are torn up by its teeth.
When they reach the shore, Craig's father, Roger, and a stranger grab him before the Shark finally swims away.
``It was remarkable, because out of nowhere nurses and EMTs showed up,'' Craig said.
Emergency workers attempt to stop the bleeding of the main arteries in the leg by applying a tourniquet.
``That was the worst pain I have ever felt.''
He is flown by helicopter to Bay Medical Center in Panama City and given 3,500 cubic centimeters of blood. The human body normally holds 6,000.
His condition is critical. He goes straight into surgery, where he is told he will either lose his leg or his life.
``I said, `Mom, please don't let them take my leg.'''
Choosing his life, the leg is amputated above the knee at midthigh. While in the hospital, Craig is not sure whether he is going to survive the ordeal. His coaches, family, friends, and strangers visit him.
For his damaged hands, Craig endures a 10-hour surgery that leaves him unable to use his hands for a long time. While he is recovering, Craig's mom, Lou Ann, helps him eat, drink, and do anything else he needed.
``I thought it was kind of funny; my mom said she didn't deal with blood,'' Craig said.
Back home to recover
When he returns to Tennessee he has to overcome a lot of obstacles and relies on faith, family, and friends to make it through.
``The biggest obstacle I had to overcome was accepting that I lost my leg, especially the way I lost it,'' Craig said.
He learns to drive with his left foot and endures media coverage on his first day of school on July 27. Fortunately, Craig has a group of friends to greet him.
On Sept. 21, Craig receives his first prosthetic leg, which was heavy and painful.
``Over the course of the next few weeks, I had to practice walking,'' he said. ``It took a lot of hard work and determination.''
Today, Craig has three specially fitted prosthetic legs: one for heavy-duty work, a $57,000 basic hydraulic walking leg that lets him walk down stairs with the aid of a computer chip, and a running leg that costs $15,000 to $17,000.
``It's a necessity,'' Craig said. ``It can take a while to get used to,''
He is able to use his hands with the help of wire running from the tip of his finger to the palm of his left hand.
``I have yet to be limited on anything I do,'' Craig said.
Looking to the future
To date, he has appeared several times on television to talk about his experience and given speeches to elementary and high schools.
``Hopefully, I can be an inspiration for others,'' said Craig, who has not given up on athletic competition.
Craig is training for a triathlon in November, where he will compete in the swimming portion.
Because he is still mastering running with his new leg, Craig is not yet playing basketball or baseball again.
``My plans are to get back there, though.''
He will be a senior this year at Lebanon High School and hopes to attend Middle Tennessee State University or Tennessee Tech.
Shark attack survivor tells tale
2006-07-26
by Brent Tolman
of The Daily Times Staff
``What comes to mind when one goes on family vacation?''
The question was posed by Craig Hutto to Maryville Kiwanis at Green Meadow Country Club Tuesday.
His own answer was a tale of pain, courage and determination.
For Craig last summer, a week before his 17th birthday, his vacation included being attacked by a shark and having his leg amputated.
The story begins on a Friday, June 24, 2005, with Craig starting on a road trip to Florida from his home of Lebanon near Nashville as part of one of his family's ``field trips.'' Over the course of the weekend, Craig fishes and swims with his brother Brian and, ironically enough, eats at a restaurant called Sharkey's.
The attack occurs Monday morning, June 27, while Craig is fishing with his brother in the surf off the Florida Panhandle at Cape San Blas, a narrow strip of land extending into the Gulf of Mexico.
``The plan for the day was just to hang out and relax,'' Craig said.
After his brother catches a large fish, the two start walking out toward a sandbar and reach a gully with Brian standing 10 feet to Craig's right.
``That's when I felt something bump my leg,'' Craig said.
At first he hopes it is just another kid playing a joke on him, but the next bump is a shark biting down on his right leg.
``The best way to describe it is an intense shaking pressure and not necessarily pain,'' Craig said. ``People say it was 6 to 8 feet and it was a bull shark.''
As he fights his way toward shore, his brother Brian begins punching the shark to try and make it release Craig. When he reaches down to try and fend off the shark, Craig's hands are torn up by its teeth.
When they reach the shore, Craig's father, Roger, and a stranger grab him before the Shark finally swims away.
``It was remarkable, because out of nowhere nurses and EMTs showed up,'' Craig said.
Emergency workers attempt to stop the bleeding of the main arteries in the leg by applying a tourniquet.
``That was the worst pain I have ever felt.''
He is flown by helicopter to Bay Medical Center in Panama City and given 3,500 cubic centimeters of blood. The human body normally holds 6,000.
His condition is critical. He goes straight into surgery, where he is told he will either lose his leg or his life.
``I said, `Mom, please don't let them take my leg.'''
Choosing his life, the leg is amputated above the knee at midthigh. While in the hospital, Craig is not sure whether he is going to survive the ordeal. His coaches, family, friends, and strangers visit him.
For his damaged hands, Craig endures a 10-hour surgery that leaves him unable to use his hands for a long time. While he is recovering, Craig's mom, Lou Ann, helps him eat, drink, and do anything else he needed.
``I thought it was kind of funny; my mom said she didn't deal with blood,'' Craig said.
Back home to recover
When he returns to Tennessee he has to overcome a lot of obstacles and relies on faith, family, and friends to make it through.
``The biggest obstacle I had to overcome was accepting that I lost my leg, especially the way I lost it,'' Craig said.
He learns to drive with his left foot and endures media coverage on his first day of school on July 27. Fortunately, Craig has a group of friends to greet him.
On Sept. 21, Craig receives his first prosthetic leg, which was heavy and painful.
``Over the course of the next few weeks, I had to practice walking,'' he said. ``It took a lot of hard work and determination.''
Today, Craig has three specially fitted prosthetic legs: one for heavy-duty work, a $57,000 basic hydraulic walking leg that lets him walk down stairs with the aid of a computer chip, and a running leg that costs $15,000 to $17,000.
``It's a necessity,'' Craig said. ``It can take a while to get used to,''
He is able to use his hands with the help of wire running from the tip of his finger to the palm of his left hand.
``I have yet to be limited on anything I do,'' Craig said.
Looking to the future
To date, he has appeared several times on television to talk about his experience and given speeches to elementary and high schools.
``Hopefully, I can be an inspiration for others,'' said Craig, who has not given up on athletic competition.
Craig is training for a triathlon in November, where he will compete in the swimming portion.
Because he is still mastering running with his new leg, Craig is not yet playing basketball or baseball again.
``My plans are to get back there, though.''
He will be a senior this year at Lebanon High School and hopes to attend Middle Tennessee State University or Tennessee Tech.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/sited/story/html/261739