Man Dragged Underwater, Bitten By Shark In N.C., Leaving Blood Trail From Water To Sand
On Wednesday at Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, the weather was perfect for swimming. Unfortunately, it was also just the right temperature for attracting a shark, and in an incident that’s becoming a frightful routine, a man was severely bitten and flown to a local hospital.
His injuries sound grave and the beachgoer, reportedly 67 and from Massachusetts, was reportedly stabilized on the beach before being transported to the hospital, Fox 8 reported.
A lifeguard provided the disturbing details — the victim was 25 to 30 feet offshore in waist-deep water when he was pulled under by a shark about midday. He was injured along his rib cage, hip, lower leg, and both hands. A witness spied a “trail of blood” leading to the sand.
The lifeguard called 911, according to United Press International.
Ok. Witnessing a shark attack is probably the scariest thing I've ever seen
— anna (@anna__lee21) July 1, 2015
Another shark attack Ocracoke Island pic.twitter.com/DuD6W3QWZi
— Stephen Lee (@Sflee65) July 1, 2015
Emergency Services Director Justin Gibbs said the man was bitten when he bumped into the shark while swimming — it was about seven feet long, WITN added. The man reportedly remained stable and alert throughout the ordeal, and was transported via helicopter to a Greenville, North Carolina, medical center.
His condition isn’t known, NBC News reported.
Unfortunately, the very same weather that draws people to the beach is also favored by sharks. The ocean on Wednesday was apparently a balmy 80 degrees, said National Park Service spokeswoman Cyndy Holda.
“The combination of beautiful warm water, a lot of bait fish and smaller fish attracting sharks, and other large fish — and then add all of these people in the water — it’s a recipe for accidents or disasters.”
This is the third time someone has been attacked since the weekend, and the seventh since June. In 2014, North Carolina beaches only reported four attacks all summer.
Fox8 rounded up the various attacks this summer, so far: two people were bitten near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, last week — a 47-year-old was bitten on the leg while rescuing others, and an 18-year-old bit on his calf, buttocks, and hands. Last week, an 8-year-old boy in Surf City, North Carolina, suffered superficial wounds. On June 14, a boy and girl, 12 and 16, both lost their arms at Oak Island, North Carolina. Off Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, a couple days earlier, a girl, 13, suffered minor injuries from a shark bite.
And finally, just Friday, a man was taken to the hospital after enduring a possible bite in South Carolina. However, no further information is available.
[Photo Courtesy Twitter]
