It bit Leeanne's right thigh and pulled her underwater.
But the available account does not establish why it approached or bit her.
It does not prove that the shark had been deliberately hunting a human.
Nor does it establish the animal's exact reaction to each defensive blow.
Leeanne's testimony provides the central account of her struggle.
She punched the shark and targeted its eye.
The animal released her.
Those facts are powerful enough without assigning unsupported intentions to the predator.
Great white sharks are formidable marine animals, but they are not driven by human emotions or motives.
Their behavior must be understood within the context of wildlife biology, even when the consequences for a person are devastating.
For Leeanne, however, the scientific explanation could not change what happened.
She had been injured.
She had nearly lost her life.
And she faced a long recovery.
Her progress toward walking again became a measure of how far she had come since the attack.
The woman who had been dragged underwater was alive.
She had endured eight operations.
And despite the extensive damage to her leg, she was gradually regaining movement with assistance.
The available information does not establish that she eventually recovered full mobility.
It would be inaccurate to describe a complete physical recovery without evidence.
But her documented progress was meaningful.
She survived a devastating shark bite and began the difficult work of rebuilding her life.
The attack at San Onofre remains memorable because of the extraordinary resistance Leeanne described.
She was caught in the jaws of a great white shark.
She was being pulled beneath the surface.
And instead of surrendering, she fought with the limited strength and movement available to her.
Her fingers reached the shark's eye.
The animal released her.
That was the moment she escaped the immediate threat.
But the larger story did not end there.
It continued through Dusty's search, the rescue by fellow surfers, the emergency helicopter flight, nine weeks of intensive treatment, eight operations, and the first difficult attempts to stand and walk again.
On April 29, 2017, Leeanne Ericson was dragged underwater by a great white shark off San Onofre, California. She fought back with her fists and fingers until the animal released her. Her boyfriend and other surfers helped bring her to shore, but the shark had left devastating injuries to her right thigh. After nine weeks of intensive treatment and eight surgeries, she survived and began learning to stand and walk again with assistance. The shark's jaws nearly ended her life in seconds. The months that followed revealed how much determination surviving those seconds would require.