FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A fisherman’s leg was infected after fishing in a sewage-contaminated river in Fort Lauderdale.
John Tedder was catching bait in the New River on Christmas Day, unaware of how far the raw sewage contamination had spread from recent main breaks.
Tedder said he felt sick almost immediately after going to sleep.
“I couldn’t stand on my left leg, it was swollen all the way to my kneecap,” said Tedder.
He immediately drove himself to Memorial Hospital Pembroke where he had been undergoing treatment.
"They should have never pumped the water in the river because it wasn’t in the river to begin with, they should have pumped it all in trucks,” said Tedder.
Officials placed warning signs near several areas where people should avoid water and have a map of the affected areas on the city’s website.
Residents, however, are worried about the long term effects on the health of the area’s waterways.
Tedder said he still sees people in the water and doesn’t want them to end up like him or worse.
Over the weekend the City of Fort Lauderdale gave some wastewater safety tips for residents, click here.