On Thursday, a teenage girl lost her leg and is in serious condition, but is expected to survive, after being attacked by a shark at a beach in Florida.
The attack occurred at Keaton Beach, 75 miles southeast of Tallahassee, while the teen was swimming in five-foot deep water. The shark was described by witnesses as about nine feet long.
A family member jumped into the water to rescue her and managed to beat off the shark and get it to flee.
Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett told reporters the girl had multiple injuries and was flown to Tallahassee Memorial Health Care to receive treatment.
Florida has a reputation for a frightening trend of unprovoked shark bites. Since 2021, shark attacks have increased around the world, according to a report released in January. The most attacks were reported by the US, and 40% of worldwide attacks occurred in Florida.
The sheriff’s office reminded the public that: “Boaters and swimmers are cautioned to be alert, vigilant and practice shark safety. 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.”
Unprovoked attacks occur when there is no apparent human provocation. Provoked attacks are defined as when people initiate contact, for example, when divers try to touch a shark, or fishermen remove a shark from a fishing net, according to the International Shark Attack File.