LIHUE, Hawaii (AP) — The father of a 13-year-old surfing star who lost her arm in a shark attack was already at the hospital when the girl was brought in — he was moments away from having knee surgery.
Tom Hamilton immediately thought of his daughter when a doctor told him he was being moved from the operating room to make way for a surfer who was bitten by a shark.
"Oh . . . please. Not my daughter," he told Dr. David Rovinsky, who started to cry and confirmed that Bethany Hamilton was the victim.
A tiger shark believed to be about 14 feet long attacked the girl Friday. She arrived at the hospital with a surfboard leash wrapped around what remained of her left arm, which was torn off near the shoulder.
The young surfer remained in stable condition Tuesday. She could go home this week, a spokeswoman for Wilcox Memorial Hospital said.