After the horrifying scenes in Texas on 4 July saw blood pour into the waters of a Texas beach as multiple victims were attacked by a shark, one woman recounts what happened to her.
When a video emerged of people who were reportedly attacked at South Padre Island on Thursday, the dorsal fin of a shark was visible for all to see.
In total, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reported that two people were bitten by what is though to be the same shark and two others were injured, but all four people thankfully survived.
Among them was Tabatha Sullivent, who was ‘shredded’ by the beast.
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On that fateful day, Sullivent was swimming like the other victims, and initially believed the shark was a big fish.
However, after trying to kick it away from her, it latched onto her calf, ripping half of it off.
She told the NBC affiliate KXAS-TV that after she kicked out it attacked: “And at that point, that's when it bit me.
“And had I not pulled my legs up, it probably would've got my torso or something else.”
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The mother has set up a GoFundMe and admitted that her leg won’t be the same.
In her post, she explained her husband fought the shark off, likely saving her life. He was also bitten, but has been released from hospital.
Due to her injuries, Sullivent believes she ‘probably won't have full mobility when I'm put back together and will not have the same leg I had before. But, I'm alive.’
Thankfully, she underwent a surgery yesterday to repair the damage as much as possible.
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An update on the page said: “Her surgery went well. At this point they need to keep cleaning the wound, he wrapped what muscle was left around the bone that was exposed.
"The dr said he is hopeful they can save her leg. As long no infection occurs. By next Wednesday/Thursday he hopes to be able to do the skin graft.”
But what made the whole thing worse was that the family were out celebrating their daughter’s 15th birthday that day on the beach when they were attacked.
South Padre Island Fire Chief Jim Pig told CBS News the shark responsible was ‘located at the south end of the island and was pushed out to deeper water’.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said the shark was said to be around six feet long, and reiterated that sharks do not typically attack people and it’s usually a case of mistaken identity.
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The full statement about the incident from Texas Parks and Wildlife said: "Details at this time indicate that two people were bitten and two people encountered the shark but were not seriously injured.
"The two victims who were bitten were transported to Valley Regional Medical Centre in Brownsville where one is being treated and the other has been flown out for further treatment.
"Local game wardens and members of the Texas Game Warden Marine Tactical Operations Group assisted in patrolling the beach by boat and land patrol while DPS patrolled the area by helicopter and SPI PD and Cameron County rangers assisted with crowd control on the beach. No further details are known at this time."
Topics: Sharks, Shark Attacks, US News, Health, GoFundMe
Britt Jones