As shark attacks spread this summer, these 5 tips can help keep you safe.
It was a gut-wrenching 911 call moments after a devastating shark attack in North Carolina.
The caller said, "There's a girl whose hand has been bitten off by a shark. We need an ambulance right away."
Stunned beach-goers desperately called for help.
A 911 operator asked, "Are any of the fingers completely amputated?"
The caller responded, "It looks like her entire hand is gone!"
We learned the name of the victim, 12-year-old Kiersten Yow. Her hand was severed and her leg was also severely bitten.
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Another caller said, "The left arm is completely missing and also a bite to the left leg. Thirteen year old, weak pulse."
Vacationer Steve Bouser took pictures of Good Samaritans working to stop Yow from bleeding out. He said it was like a scene from a horror movie!
He said, "It was just a nightmarish scene altogether. It was like a scene out of Jaws. Everybody was yelling 'Get out of the water, get out of the water!'"
Then, 90 minutes later the unthinkable happened - another attack just two miles down Oak Island Beach near Wilmington!
A caller frantically said, "A shark just bit a man's arm off, we need an ambulance now!"
The victim this time was another youngster 16-year-old Hunter Treschel. Witnesses said he screamed, "Is this real? Is this a movie?" as they dragged him from the water.
Both victims were rushed to the same hospital and both lost their arms.
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The attacks came just two days after a 13-year-old had a close encounter with a shark on the same beach! There were bites on her boogie board, but she escaped with minor injuries.
The local fire chief was stunned. He said, "I've been here 16 years. This is the first time something as major as this has happened."
This is the time of year thousands of sharks migrate up the East Coast in search of cooler waters. As the summer approaches and the beaches become more and more packed with swimmers, there are ways you can protect yourself from sharks:
- Always swim in a group. Sharks most often attack lone individuals.
- Stay close to shore.
- Stay out of the water at night, dawn, or dusk. That's feeding time for sharks!
- Don't swim if you're bleeding. Sharks can smell and taste blood.
- Don't wear shiny jewelry. The reflected light looks like shining fish scales.
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