Shark Attack

Two people bitten by sharks at St. Lucie County beaches
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By Allyson Bird

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Two people were bitten by sharks between 2 p.m. and 2:20 p.m. Saturday on St. Lucie County beaches.

The first was a 9-year-old boy who was bitten on his foot at Waveland Park, said St. Lucie County Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Whitaker. Witnesses took the boy to a local grocery store, where paramedics picked him up and took him to Martin Memorial Medical Center.

The second was 30-year-old man who was bitten on his ankle at Normandy Beach, Whitaker said. Rescue workers took him to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/ ... shark.html

nbc6.net
Sharks Attack Two In St. Lucie
Boy Bitten On Foot, Surfer On Ankle

POSTED: 10:08 am EDT April 1, 2007
UPDATED: 12:54 pm EDT April 1, 2007

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A shark bit a 9-year-old boy on the foot at Waveland Park and another attacked a man's ankle at Normandy Beach on Saturday, fire officials said.

Their injuries were not considered life-threatening. The attacks happened within an hour of each other Saturday on Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County on Florida's east coast, fire officials said.

Authorities did not release the names of either victim.

The boy was bitten on his right buttock and thigh about 1:20 p.m. at Waveland Park, St. Lucie County Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Whitaker said. Witnesses rushed him to a nearby grocery store, where they called 911. He was treated at a local hospital and released.

About an hour later, a surfer on Normandy Beach was bitten on his right ankle, a deep wound serious enough that he was held for observation at a local hospital, Whitaker said.

Last year, Florida maintained its status as the world's shark attack capital with 23 recorded attacks, according to a University of Florida study.

Still, shark attacks are rare, with 70 to 100 incidents worldwide each year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. But the museum reports that attacks are on the rise as more people crowd the seashores.

The University of Florida's International Shark Attack File advises beachgoers not to wander far from shore and to swim in groups to avoid shark attacks.

http://www.nbc6.net/print/11480575/detail.html

Two apparently bitten by sharks in separate incidents in St. Lucie


By staff report
Posted at 4:01 p.m.
Updated at 7:17 p.m.
March 31, 2007
ST. LUCIE COUNTY -- Two people were apparently bitten by sharks in separate incidents in the county Saturday afternoon.
A 9-year-old boy was apparently bitten in the foot around 1:30 p.m. at Waveland Beach Park on Hutchinson Island, not far from the Martin-St. Lucie County line, said Catherine Whitaker, a fire district spokeswoman. The boy was taken from the beach to a nearby convenience store, where rescue workers picked him up.


The boy was taken to a local hospital for treatment and his condition was not immediately available.
In a separate incident, a 30-year-old man was apparently bitten in the ankle around 2:20 p.m. at Normandy Beach on Hutchinson Island, Whitaker said. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/ar ... 45,00.html