PORTLAND, Ore. -- The family of a teen who had his arm cut off while surfing said Tuesday that his arm has been reattached and he's recovering.

Cole Ortega, 14, was surfing at Cape Kiwanda on Sunday morning when a dory fishing boat ran him over, shearing off his left arm.

Two days after the accident, Cole's father, Charlie Ortega, said his son was alert, talking and even laughing; plus, his arm had been reattached.

Charlie Ortega, Cole's sister Chelsea and his surgeon held a press conference at Legacy Emanuel Hospital to talk about Cole's progress and the good news.

After a nearly five-hour surgery, the doctor was able to reattach his arm, which had been sliced off between his elbow and his bicep.

Cole, Chelsea and her boyfriend were surfing on the Oregon Coast on Sunday morning in fairly high waves when a 50-year-old man in a dory boat ran him over, cutting off his arm with a propeller.

Immediately, another surfer tied a tourniquet on Cole's arm and luckily an emergency room doctor happened to be on the beach and administered care for the teen.

His parents were camping nearby and when they found out what happened, his father said it became a living nightmare.

"Initially, what everybody thought happened, I thought he was dead before I got to the beach," Cole's father said. "I held him all the way to the hospital and every time he closed his eyes I thought that could be the last time."

Because Cole is young, doctors said his chances for recovering from this injury are much better than an adult's.

The surgeon said it could be up to a year before they know just how much use he's going to have of his arm.

Surgeon Reattaches Surfer's Severed Arm