Man nearly loses finger while fishing

VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. (WSVN) -- A South Florida man is recovering in the hospital after being bitten while fishing off Virginia Key.

The accident happened just before 5:30 p.m. Monday. Family members said something in the water bit the fisherman, slicing several of his fingers and nearly severing one of them. "It was still attached but it was pretty deep," said one of the victim's daughters.

Beachgoers said the man was catching fish with his two daughters and was cleaning the fish in the water, when suddenly he was bitten. "He was in a lot of pain and was holding his hand up for support," said Bismarie Plascencia. "It was bleeding a lot; it was a lot of blood coming out."

Plascencia and her mother, Bairene, immediately ran over to help. "He was cleaning a fish and something jumped up, and he described it as a green snake and obviously it grabbed his hand or his fingers," said Bairene Plascencia.

Miami Fire Rescue believe the green snake was actually an eel, possibly a moray. They said the eel was attracted to the blood and fish parts in the water and must have latched on to the fisherman's fingers, mistaking them for a meal. "Out of his left hand, he has about four that sustained trauma bites, and we have one that was severely damaged by the attack," said Miami Fire Rescue Lieutenant Ignatius Carroll.

Rescue crews transported the 48-year-old to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery.

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