A shark bit three people off a southern Texas beach on the Fourth of July in what the city’s fire chief described as an unprecedented incident. On the same day, another person was bitten by a shark in Florida, officials reported.
In Texas, the three bites occurred in South Padre Island, a barrier island near Brownsville. Fire Chief Jim Pigg stated that the shark was later located and “pushed out to deeper water.”
“This is unprecedented here on South Padre Island,” Pigg remarked. There were two separate shark bite incidents at different times and locations on Thursday.
Police responded to a 911 call at 11 a.m. reporting “a severe shark bite to the leg,” according to city spokesperson Nikki Soto. The victim was transported to a local hospital.
Pigg explained that the first call involved one person with a bite injury and a second person with minor injuries who did not require further emergency care.
Following a second 911 call about another shark attack, firefighters discovered two more people who had been bitten by a shark. They were also taken to a hospital.
Kyle Jud, 46, witnessed a woman being pulled from the water with a severe bite to her leg. “Beach patrol lifted her up — her calf was just gone, shredded. Horrific,” Jud said. He posted a video of a shark in the water as a helicopter and a boat patrolled the area.
One of the victims was flown from a Brownsville hospital for further treatment, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reported.
“Shark encounters of this nature are not common in Texas,” the department noted. “When shark bites do occur, they are usually a case of mistaken identity by sharks looking for food.”
Pigg mentioned that the type of shark involved had not been determined and that an investigation was underway.
Lifeguards in South Padre Island, a beach town of around 2,000 residents, were advising people to stay out of the water or at least limit themselves to knee-deep wading, Pigg said.
Since the shark was pushed out to deeper water, there have been no further sightings, but officials remain vigilant.
South Padre Island Mayor Patrick McNulty expressed his concern, stating, “Our hearts and prayers are with the injured and their families, and we hope for a speedy recovery.”
In New Smyrna Beach, Florida, a 21-year-old man was bitten by a shark while playing football in knee-deep water around 4 p.m., said Tamra Malphurs, interim director of Volusia County Beach Safety. The man, who was visiting from Ohio, was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File reported 36 unprovoked shark attacks against humans in the U.S. last year, with two resulting in fatalities. The project, which documents shark attacks worldwide, noted that the risk of being attacked by a shark is very small. Swimmers can reduce their risk further by staying in groups and closer to shore.