A teenage girl lost her leg in a shark attack in Florida Thursday, marking the second reported attack in just over a week across the nation.
Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reported the attack took place at 3 p.m. at Keaton Beach, about 75 miles southeast of Tallahassee.
The teen, whose identity was not immediately released, was taken by medical helicopter Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and was in surgery around 6 p.m. Thursday, said TCSO spokesperson GinaDeeson.
Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett told CBS affiliate WCTV that the girl had surgery and lost her leg, but was expected to survive.
The girl was scalloping with her family near Grassy Island, just off Keaton Beach, in water approximately 5 feet deep, according to a TCSO incident report.
“A family member reportedly jumped in the water and beat the shark until the juvenile was free,” the report read.
The shark species remained unknown Friday, but it was described as being approximately nine feet long.
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“Swimmers and scallopers are cautioned to be alert, vigilant, and practice shark safety,” the incident summary added. “Some rules to follow are: never swim alone, do not enter the water near fishermen, avoid areas such as sandbars (where sharks like to congregate), do not swim near large schools of fish, and avoid erratic movements while in the water.”
Man suffered ‘significant injuries’ in California shark attack
Last week, on June 22, a shark attacked a swimmer along the central California coast.
The attack took place 85 miles south of San Francisco, the Pacific Grove Police Department said in a statement.
The swimmer, a 62-year-old Monterey man, suffered “significant injuries from the shark bite,” and was taken to a hospital, police said.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s confirmed the fish that attacked the man was a Great White Shark.
CDFW scientists reported they had not determined a size estimate for the shark.
Witnesses told KSBW that the victim sustained severe torso injuries and the scene at the beach was chaotic. City officials said he had injuries to his stomach and leg.
CDFW reported the victim was expected to recover.
‘A constant presence’ in Cape Cod
Earlier this week, great white shark researchers on Cape Cod warned visitors that warmer weather signals not just the start of the busy tourist season, but also the arrival of the region’s famous predators.
July tends to be when great whites appear in earnest as the cape’s waters warm, with sightings peaking from August through October, Megan Winton, a scientist with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, said during a news conference Wednesday at the organization’s offices in Chatham, Massachusetts.
“Just know that large sharks are here,” she said. “They’re a constant presence from June to the fall.”
Contributing: The Associated Press.
Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter. Natalie Neysa Alund can be reached at nalund@usatoday.com. Find her on Twitter @nataliealund. her on Twitter @nataliealund.
