Sharks off Florida’s coast have attacked three swimmers; a 45-year-old lady suffers “significant trauma”.
Two teenagers and an older woman comprised the victims. Fire District Chief Ryan Crawford said the 45-year-old was swimming with her husband at Watersound Beach just past a sandbar when a shark snapped its mouth on her midriff.
Authorities claimed the woman suffered “significant trauma” to her stomach and now needs a portion of her left arm removed. She was quickly driven to critical condition HCA Fort Walton-Destin Hospital. About four miles after the initial incident, another attack happened close to Seacrest Beach as officials rushed to replace the caution flags for the beach. Near a sandbar, a group of friends including a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old female when were ambushed by a shark in waist-depth water.
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One got a life-threatening injury and was in critical condition and medevacked to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola Hospital. The second adolescent left with just foot injuries—flesh wounds. She arrived at Ascension Bay Medical Center in a stable state.
“The Gulf is currently closed to the public in Walton County inside the confined incident area. We are urging beachgoers to be aware that beach deputies and lifeguards could be attempting to keep individuals out of the nearby ocean.”
Walton County Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson, Jr. told reporters in a press conference how the first incident led to orders for the beaches to close, however, it was reportedly not executed and the two subsequent attacks occurred in the meantime. But it was also said that it would have taken roughly an hour and a half to change the beach warning flags along the coast.
According to Sheriff Adkinson Jr., reports ABC News, the last shark attack in the county was in 2021 and the last fatality connected to sharks was recorded in 2005.
“This is an anomaly… everything from where it’s at, to three victims,” the sheriff added. “All we can do is respond control, and mitigate what we can.”