Bodyboarder killed by great white shark was bitten so hard by its 16-inch jaw it crushed his skull and left tooth behind
A BODYBOARDER killed by a great white shark was bitten so hard by its 16inch jaw that it crushed his skull and left a tooth behind.
Tomas Butterfield, 42, was bitten in the head, chest and shoulder when he died on Christmas Eve.
He was pulled from the waves after a surfer saw him face down, still tied to his board.
It is unclear if the shark attacked just once or if it made several lunges. It is also unknown how big or old the shark was.
Tomas was visiting his mum and brother in California, US, when he was attacked last December.
A coroner’s report yesterday ruled he died from complications of multiple penetrating blunt force traumatic injuries.
Tomas suffered a fractured skull, crushed ribs and other injuries including to the inferior vena cava, a large vein that carries blood from the torso and lower body to the heart.
Pathologist Dr Joyce Carter added he died within minutes of the attack.
And DNA from the autopsy confirmed his injuries were from a great white shark.
Tomas’ uncle Grant said in January: “It’s a terrible loss, at 42, with him getting his stuff together and starting to make something of himself.
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“The family is going to do OK, but even at that, it’s a tough time holding it together.”
There have been at least 19 shark attacks this year, three of which were fatal.
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