Source: Bob Thomas / Getty
According to the National Park Service, Wednesday afternoon a 68-year-old man (whose name was not released) from Cape Cod, Mass., was bitten by a shark off the coast of Ocracoke Island. He was listed as being in serious condition when he arrived at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville.
The man makes the seventh person that has been bitten by a shark off the coast of North Carolina. The attack happened at about 12:30 p.m according to officials.
The man was swimming directly in front of the lifeguard stand in waist-deep water when he was pulled underwater by the shark. The victim received injuries to his rib cage, hip, lower leg as well as both hands.
Officials said the shark that the victim encountered was grey and about six to seven feet long. Immediately after the attack the man was airlifted to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, where he is now listed as being in stable condition.
According to witness Lynette Holman the victim suffered a “5 inch gash above his knee”. There were other swimmers however no one else was injured.
This shark attack follows a recent string of horrific attacks. On Saturday, in Rodanthe a 17-year-old boy was bitten by a shark and the day before, a 47-year-old man was bitten a mile north of the Avon Fishing Pier.
The other four instances of shark bites last month all involved younger people swimming a bit farther south off the coast. A 12-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy, each bitten June 14 about an hour apart off the coast of Oak Island have suffered the most serious injuries.
Each had an arm amputated. Justin Gibbs, the Hyde County emergency services director, says that extra emergency crews will be on standby through the holiday weekend.
Here’s what Gibbs had to say
“Going into July 4th weekend, we have upped our staffing on the island because of the celebration that occurs there annually. We also put a third ambulance on call. (This) is not something we handle on a frequent basis.”
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