Shark Attack

Shark bites 13 yr old off New Smyrna Beach
Last Edited: Tuesday, 12 Aug 2008, 5:08 PM EDT
Created: Tuesday, 12 Aug 2008, 5:08 PM EDT

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- A tourist from New York is the latest swimmer to be bitten by a shark of Atlantic coastal waters. It happened around 2 p.m. on Tuesday near the 400 block of South St. in New Smyrna Beach.

The thirteen year old girl was treated for a bite on her right leg between her knee and ankle. She was transported to Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna where she received thirty-six stitches to her leg before being released.

Witnesses say there were numerous birds diving in the area at the time of the attack. The girl was in waist-deep to chest-deep water near a lifeguard tower.

Officials say shark attacks in this area are typical for this time of year. This attack is the sixteenth of the year. A record twenty-two attacks was set in 2001.

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages ... geId=3.2.1

Girl Undergoes Surgery After Shark Attack

13-Year-Old Bitten On Leg

POSTED: 1:41 pm EDT August 12, 2008
UPDATED: 4:21 pm EDT August 12, 2008

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- A 13-year-old girl underwent surgery on Tuesday after being attacked by a shark off New Smyrna Beach, beach patrol officials said.

The girl, a tourist from New York, was bitten on her right leg between her ankle and knee while in waist-deep water near the 400 block of South Street, according to the Volusia County Beach Patrol.

The girl was transported to Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach.

The attack marks the 16th shark bite of the year in Volusia County.


http://www.local6.com/news/17170319/detail.html

Emma Klopchin a 13 year old girl attacked by shark at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida in clear waste deep water 36 stitches required!
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Visiting Teen Bitten By Shark In New Smyrna
Victim From New York Bitten In Leg

POSTED: 4:29 pm EDT August 12, 2008
UPDATED: 9:11 pm EDT August 12, 2008

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- A 13-year-old girl was bitten by a shark Tuesday in New Smyrna Beach.

Emma Klopchin traveled from New York to Florida to visit extended family. She was swimming south of the Flagler Avenue beach entrance in chest deep water when she was bitten in the right leg.


A hospital spokesman said Klopchin did not see the shark approach, but felt it bite down on the back of her right calf.

"She said she was just wading in the water, she was in the water with a relative and all of a sudden she felt the bite, and she looked down and she ran to shore," Bert Fish Medical Center spokesman Garry Mac said.

A tooth had to be removed from the 3-inch gash and Klopchin's leg was treated at Bert Fish Medical Center with stitches.

"They think they have found one of the shark’s teeth, maybe part of a tooth in the wound and that will be [Klopchin’s] souvenir to take home and she’ll have a great story to tell at the beginning of school," Mac said.

This is the 16th shark bite of the year in Volusia County. Last year there were 17 close encounters and 22 people were bit in 2001, the once called year of the shark.

Most shark bites occur near the jetty where sharks feed on bait fish and bump surfers. Crowds of diving birds can show where there is an abundance of food, so swimmers should be cautious in those areas for sharks.

"I was kind of nervous about it, but I mean, I don’t think the shark is really circling out there, so I guess it’s all right," beach visitor Amanda Tumey said.

http://www.wesh.com/green-pages/17171864/detail.html