Shocking Attack In Florida, Shark Bites Boy In Waist-High Water

A 10-year-old boy in Cocoa Beach, Florida is suffering from severe injuries after being bitten by a shark while playing in shallow water. The boy’s current condition still isn’t clear, and the bull shark forced other beachgoers out of the water for about an hour.

According to AJC, on Sunday morning, about 11 a.m., a juvenile bull shark bit the little boy on the right calf at Lori Wilson Park. The child was playing in waist-high water with his mother at the time.

Eisen Witcher, Brevard Ocean Rescue Assistant Chief, told CNN a lifeguard then came to the boy’s aid.

“Our lifeguard spotted the victim in the water when he saw he seemed to be in distress. He ran out there, saw that he had been bit, carried him out of the water and immediately performed emergency aid.”

The boy was rushed out of the beach park by a helicopter, which took him to an Orlando hospital.

Witcher went on to say that the bite was one of the worst they have seen in the area “mainly because of the size of the bite.” The ocean rescue group has already responded to 10 shark bites this year alone.

Stephanie Yelenosky, says she saw the shark moments before it bit the child, explaining that it was a juvenile bull shark.

“My daughter and I were way out on a surfboard and two big waves came in. On the second big wave, we saw what looked to be a juvenile bull shark. About 15 seconds later we saw a group of people in knee-high water and we heard screaming, so we knew that the shark probably had gotten confused or scared and took a bite at somebody.”

If the woman’s description is correct, it would be typical of bull sharks. According to National Geographic, the carnivorous animals like shorelines in warm, tropical areas. Bull sharks can even tolerate fresh water and swim some ways inland up rivers and tributaries.

Because of their aggressive nature and preferred territory, which often brings them close to humans, many experts consider them the most dangerous kind of shark – even worse than the much larger great white shark.

After the boy was bitten, officials closed down the beach for about an hour.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, some teenagers also suffered shark bites in Florida at the end of May, including a 14-year-old girl at Cocoa Beach. It seems like shark season in the state is in full swing – beachgoers beware.

[Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons]