Addison Bethea tried to fend off a shark during an attack in Florida

The father of a Florida teenager who lost part of her leg in a harrowing shark attack said she bravely tried to fight off the monster – and even landed a punch.

“She’s been through more than I could ever have imagined, but she’s a soldier,” Shane Bethea said on Facebook of his daughter, Addison Bethea.

“Please pray for her and the difficulties of her days to come.”

The shattered father said Addison was scalloped in shallow waters at Keaton Beach in Taylor County when the 9-foot predator suddenly charged.

“The shark bit her once and then attacked her again on her right thigh,” he wrote. “She tried to poke it in the eye and hit it, but it wouldn’t come off.”

Her brother Rhett then gallantly stepped in to help, beating the shark until it finally loosened its grip, Bethea wrote.

The brave brother then dragged his ailing sibling into a passing stranger’s boat.

“Rhett put a tourniquet on her to minimize blood loss from the massive injury and kept her awake, ultimately saving her life,” he wrote.

Bethea was then flown to a hospital in Tallahassee, where she now has a long road to recovery.

“The nerve on the back of her thigh was badly damaged,” Bethea said. “There is an unreal amount of damage to her thigh area. Doctors are unsure of the condition of the leg at this point and want to examine it day by day to see what needs to be done.”

Addison was sedated until Friday morning, when she regained consciousness and communicated with her parents over her phone — and quickly requested a Wendy’s Frosty, Bethea said.

“She was in good spirits and joking about beating up the shark,” he said. “She’s far from over the mountain, but she’s alive and that’s the most important thing for us. We appreciate all of the support and Addison wanted me to say thank you too.”

Addison’s mother, Michelle Murphy, also took to Facebook to share her daughter’s horrific ordeal.

“She’s a tough one and has a long way to go but she’s alive and that’s all this momma cares about,” she said, adding that Addison was surrounded by friends and family at her bedside.