"Shark Attack Survivors News Archive"

05/26/2008 William Early (North Carolina)

Worldwide Reported Shark Attack Related Incidents in 2008.
Post Reply
sharkbait
Site Admin
Posts: 1372
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2005 4:04 pm

Re: 05/26/2008 William Early (North Carolina)

Post by sharkbait »

Official: Boy likely bitten by shark off N.C. island

Posted: Today at 9:05 p.m.
Updated: 58 minutes ago

BEAR ISLAND, N.C. — Marine helicopter patrols searched for sharks because state park officials believe a 9-year-old might have been bitten by one last Monday.

William Early, of Wilmington, was surfing in shallow water off Bear Island in the Hammocks Beach State Park around 4 p.m. on May 26, said Charlie Peek, a spokesman for the state Division of Parks and Recreation.

The boy had gotten off his surfboard when a large fish attacked him, Peek said.

William suffered lacerations to his upper and lower left arm. He underwent surgery at a Wilmington hospital to correct some nerve damage and has returned home to recover.

Peek said doctors said William's wounds were consistent with a shark bite. However, no one saw a shark at the scene.

A Marine helicopter flying over Bear Island a day later did not spot anything unusual. Peek said park officials hope the attack was an isolated incident.


http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/2979475/
sharkbait
Site Admin
Posts: 1372
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2005 4:04 pm

Re: 05/26/2008 William Early (North Carolina)

Post by sharkbait »

Boy bitten at Bear Island

May 26, 2008 - 6:32PM
DAILY NEWS STAFF

A 9-year-old boy was bitten by an unidentified marine animal this afternoon at Bear Island, a parks spokesman said.

William T. Early of Wilmington was riding a surfboard toward the shore and had come off the surfboard in shallow water when something bit his left arm, said Charlie Peek, public information officer for the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. The boy was severely cut on his upper arm and has less severe lacerations on his forearm, Peek said.

Early was swimming about 300 yards east of the lifeguard protected beach, and one of the lifeguards on duty was among the first on the scene, Peek said. The lifeguard administered first aid and wrapped the boy in a towel while someone called 911 and they cleared the beach. Rangers took Early, who was still conscious, back to the mainland on their patrol boat and he was taken by ambulance to New Hanover Regional Medical Center trauma center, Peek said. A spokeswoman for the hospital reported Early was in fair condition at 6:30 p.m.

No one saw the animal that bit Early, but the park rangers will patrol the beach early Tuesday morning to determine whether it is safe to reopen the beach for swimming, Peek said.

http://www.jdnews.com/articles/bitten_5 ... y_old.html
sharkbait
Site Admin
Posts: 1372
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2005 4:04 pm

05/26/2008 William Early (North Carolina)

Post by sharkbait »

Parents Cautious After Boy Bitten At Bear Island

Posted: 8:02 PM May 27, 2008
Last Updated: 9:16 PM May 27, 2008
Reporter: Dave Jordan

Whatever took a bite out of a Wilmington boy's arm has people on the Crystal Coast beaches concerned for their child's safety as well as their own.

A group of Carteret County elementary school students took a field trip to Atlantic Beach on Tuesday. Some parents we spoke with say they keep a close eye on their children when they come to the ocean. Some don't even let them get into the water.


Officials at the North Carolina Aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores say the main thing parents and children need to be aware of are sharks.

Brian Dorn is the Husbandry Curator at the museum. Dorn says, "Just be aware that they are out there whether you can see em or not, but they don't target you as a food source. You kind of get in the way of what they're actually trying to eat. So the education part is a great tool that anybody can learn pretty easily."

Dorn also says sharks normally feed in the morning when the sun rises and at night when the sun sets. They also can mistake splashing for a stressed or dying animal, which they target for food.

Monday's incident happened at the beach on Bear Island in Onslow County. The Park Service says the boy was bitten on the bicep and lower arm by something in the water around 4:00 p.m. Monday.


http://www.witntv.com/home/headlines/19301299.html
Post Reply

Return to “2008 Shark Attacks ~ Shark Attacks 2008”