A 17-year-old girl suffered “extensive injuries” after she was bitten by a shark while swimming at Fort Macon State Park in North Carolina.
The girl’s father is credited with saving her life.
The incident happened around 12:20 p.m. on Sunday. Atlantic Beach EMS treated the teen, Paige Winter, before she was airlifted to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville.
Officials said she was transported to the hospital with “deep lacerations to her leg, pelvic and hand areas.”
“And it looked like she was belly crawling on the beach and officials were running towards her and whistles were blowing and everyone was screaming and they quickly got everybody out of the water,” Lacy Whorton, an eyewitness, described the scene after Winter’s father beat the shark to free his daughter.
The 17-year-old’s grandmother, Janet Winter, wrote on Facebook that the girl’s father beat the shark five times before it loosened its grip.
According to a GoFundMe set up for Paige, the teenager had to have her left leg amputated above the knee. Her grandmother also confirmed that she will lose some of her fingers.
Following the incident Vidant Health released a statement on Paige’s condition.
“She is in good condition and receiving excellent care. Her family expresses their appreciation for the first responders, the individuals on the beach who helped and her heroic father who saved her life. Despite this unfortunate circumstance, Paige is an unwavering advocate for the marine life and the animals who live in the water. She wishes for people to continue to respect sharks in their environment and their safety.”
[arve url=”https://abc11.com/video/embed/?pid=5327702″ aspect_ratio=”9:7″ /]
Despite the severity of the attack, Paige has managed to stay positive.
“Thank you to the care team at Vidant Medical Center who is continuing to provide excellent care. I know I have a long road to recovery, which includes additional surgeries. I will continue to stay positive and be thankful that it was not worse,” she said in a statement released Monday.
Even though she was bitten by a shark and needed to have one of her legs amputated, Paige Winter still found it in herself to tell others to be kind to the marine animals.
We could all show a little more compassion like Paige.
Share this article and wish Paige well in her recovery.
