Florida man loses prosthetic leg surfing, but teen finds and returns it

Sebastian Morris, left, found the prosthetic leg that belongs to Carter Hess, right.

He rode a wave of emotion.

A Florida man lost his prosthetic leg surfing and had given up on finding it last month, the Panama City News Herald reported. But he was pleasantly surprised when a 13-year-old boy found the leg and returned it Tuesday.

Carter Hess, an Afghanistan War veteran, told the News Herald that his friends always tag him in “lost leg” posts as a joke, but a Monday report in the paper was, in fact, his missing limb.

“I surf a lot, and so every time a leg is found, they get a kick out of it,” Hess said.

Sebastian Morris, 13, was the kid who found the leg in St. Andrews State Park, according to the News Herald. He and his father, Bobby, started an online campaign to find the owner.

That campaign reached the News Herald, then Hess’ friends and finally Hess.

Hess, an avid surfer, had the $3,000 leg specially designed so he could ride the waves without fear, the News Herald reported. Alas, the leg came off while he was doing just that last month. He gave up hope after a three-day search.

Morris found the leg, mostly buried, about 30 feet away from Hess’ main search location.