Florida Man Loses Leg After Contracting Flesh-Eating Bacteria While Fishing

Florida native Ben West's life changed forever in August 2025, when he was on a family trip in Fort St. Joe, along the Intracoastal Waterway. While fishing, he contracted a flesh eating bacteria. West says his rubber boots rubbed away skin on his leg, letting in the deadly bacteria. His leg swelled to to dramatic proportions and caused multiple hospitalizations. Recently, the leg was amputated and he is fighting to rebuild his life. He and his family have established a GoFundMe account to help with mounting expenses because West has been has been unable to work - https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ben-wests-fight-against-flesheating-bacteria?modal=updates