In yet another shark attack in Florida, a 28-year-old woman was bitten by a shark while she was swimming in the waters off Cocoa Beach on Sunday. The incident happened on Sunday afternoon even as the beach was crowded with people enjoying their weekend.
According to USA Today , local emergency workers responded to a call made from the area and reached there within minutes. The woman, who has not been identified, was administered first aid and was later transported to the Holmes Regional Medical Center for further treatment. Her condition is reported to be stable. According to WFTV News , the woman only suffered a six-inch laceration on her ankle. Initial reports also add that the shark that attacked the woman was between three- to six-feet in length. The actual species has not been determined yet.
According to Holly Petersen, who was near the woman when the shark attacked, she helped the woman get back safely to the beach.
“I looked over at her and she said, ‘Somebody help me.’ I saw the fin come up and slap her in the face. She said, ‘It got me.’ So I grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the shore,” Petersen said.
A video posted by a Twitter user who was in the area also showed a shark moving in the waters of the beach. It is embedded below.
@DWilliamsTV @Fox35News yep the were out today pic.twitter.com/SXNp1l30HW
— Shawn Krauel (@FanWerks) November 1, 2015
The incident was also tweeted by several others.
I dont understand why ‘woman bitten by shark in Florida ‘ is a headline, do we get ‘bitten by snake’ headlines?!?
— nahtanoj truoc (@gollybass) November 1, 2015
JUST IN IMAGES: Shark bites 28yo woman on R ankle in Cocoa Beach. Happened around 2:30p. I’m gathering intel. #Fox35 pic.twitter.com/CfsP16dP7O
— David Williams (@DWilliamsTV) November 1, 2015
The news of this shark attack comes just a few days after a 10-year-old boy was bitten by a shark in Hawaii. Before that, several other incidents of shark attacks were reported from Florida. Back in September, the Inquisitr had reported that a 12-year-old boy from Georgia was attacked by a shark on Florida’s Fernandina Beach . The boy suffered severe injuries to his legs. Prior to that in May of 2015, two separate shark attacks were reported from Florida on the same day, with the first attack coming from New Smyrna Beach. There, a 19-year-old teen was attacked by a shark. This was followed by a shark attack on Cocoa Beach where a 13-year-old was attacked. The girl was visiting Florida from Ohio.
Meanwhile, there has been a rise in the number of shark attacks in Hawaii of late. In the past decade, the average number of shark bites reported from Hawaii have more than doubled. Officials, however, say that the increase in numbers is just because more people are entering the water — increasing the probability for an attack. The last major attack in Hawaii happened on October 11, when a 25-year-old man lost his left leg to a shark attack. He was surfing off Oahu’s North Shore when the shark attacked.
In September, the Inquisitr had also posted a video showing a Hawaii man who videotaped himself being taken into an ambulance after a shark attack . The man, identified as John Braxton, has since removed the graphic video and has posted pictures of his recovery.
Do you think shark attacks are on a rise in the U.S.? Should there be more awareness regarding the potential dangers of going out for a swim in the beaches across the country?
[Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]
