Shark Attacks and Shark Attack Related Incidents News Articles on Shark Bites

Falls native describes shark attack

Was bitten while fishing in N. Carolina
Don L. White is part of an exclusive club, but he wishes he did not belong. It took a 12-inch incision on his lower leg to gain membership.

The 45-year-old Lexington, S.C., man and Newton Falls native was bitten by a bull shark off the coast of North Carolina earlier this month.

He said this week he was thankful his injuries were not worse and that no one else who was with him was bitten.

''All things considered, we were extremely lucky,'' White said.

White, a 1984 graduate of Newton Falls High School, said he was fishing off the coast of North Carolina with a cousin, two of his nephews and two of his sons on Aug. 11. They fished out of Morehead City, N.C. from 9 a.m. till about 2:30 p.m., White said.

''We had a lot of fun,'' White said. ''It was good water and calm seas.''

The fishermen packed up their gear and were a couple of miles away from where they were fishing when some of the people on the boat decided to jump in the ocean to cool off. White said he never swam offshore in the ocean but changed his mind when everyone else jumped in.

''I can't be the only guy who can't hop in the water,'' White said.

Less than a minute later, he was bitten by the shark.

White said he was swimming back to the boat and some of the others already were back and some had even jumped in again for a second dip when he felt it.

''I felt this blast - something smashing into me,'' White said. ''I felt all this energy go through my body.''

At first White thought one of the other swimmers on the boat was playing a joke on him, ''but there was no one within eight feet of me,'' he said.

He realized it was a shark. As friends pulled him into the boat, they saw several sharks swimming near where he was bitten.

''They were in a frenzy,'' White said.

The other swimmers got out of the water in a hurry, he said. They elevated White's leg and used their T-shirts and a belt to fashion a torniquet. It took them 45 minutes to reach shore.

White was asked at the hospital if he felt any pain and he said, curiously enough, he did not.

Some X-rays were taken and surgery was done to repair the damage and close the incision, which included reattaching some muscles that were damaged in the attack.

''It's like sewing wet toilet paper together,'' White said.

Doctors are not sure yet if he will suffer any permanent damage, he said. He said he was told this week he can drive but he will not be able to put any weight on the leg for 4 1/2 weeks.

White said he has read since the attack that only 79 people were attacked by sharks in 2010. Out of a population of 6 billion people, he said it drives home how rare the attack on him was.

His first swim in the open ocean is likely his last.

''I have no intention of getting into the water again,'' White said.

http://www.tribtoday.com

"Shark Week" becomes reality for Midlands man on fishing trip

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A Midlands man is recovering after being bitten by a shark off the coast of North Carolina this week.

As is often the case with stories like this, Don White's family fishing trip on Thursday started off peacefully. "We had a good day on the reef, caught quite a few fish," he said.

On the way back to Morehead City, the group decided to jump in and cool off a little before heading into port. That's when it happened. "All of a sudden I felt severe pressure like a strike on my right foot," said Don.

An eight-foot Bull Shark had torn open a long gash in Don's leg. "I said, 'Everybody out of the water. I think something hit me!'"

"When I saw the look on his face, instinct kicked in and I swam as fast as I could to get out of the water," said son Donnie White.

As his son and a few others pulled Don to safety, he realized he was leaving a trail. "Looked in the water and there was some blood in the water, several sharks swimming around - a lot of activity under the boat," said Don.

Now out of reach, the young men kept their composure to get Don out of danger. "Once we had him on the boat, we tied a belt around his leg because we figured a tourniquet would stop the bleeding," said Donnie. "And after that, we found towels and our T-shirts and tied those around his leg as tight as we could."

"It was sort of surreal, like this isn't happening," said Don.

Back on land, doctors managed to pull a small souvenir of the attack out of Don's leg. It was a shark tooth. "So I've got a little reminder of the activity that day," said Don.

Two days and 120 stitches later, the Whites said watching Shark Week on TV is nothing compared to having lived it. "We made jokes like 'Oh, it'd be funny to be on Shark Wee,.' and we like watching the show. But now that it actually happened, it's a different perspective," said Donnie

It's an experience that will stay with all of them for a long time. "As far as swimming in the ocean or taking a dip while we're fishing, it will never happen again," said Don.

http://www.wistv.com

S.C. man treated after shark bite

Morehead city — A South Carolina man was rushed to shore about 3 p.m. Thursday after he was bitten by a bull Shark 13 miles off Beaufort Inlet.


Donnie White, 54, of Lexington, was on a family fishing trip aboard the Sea Jewel, a 20-foot sport fishing boat, owned by city resident Jay Harris, when the attack occurred.


According to family members, the family had been fishing and decided to take a swim before running back inshore.


“We had finished fishing and decided to take a swim and cool off,” said one of the teens on the boat. “He was the last overboard and the last to the ladder. As he reached the ladder we saw the shark and yelled, but he thought we were kidding. That’s when the shark bit him.”


Mr. White sustained deep lacerations to his lower right leg from the bite. Once the victim was aboard the vessel, fellow fishermen used T-shirts and towels to form a bandage around the leg and elevated it. After being informed of the boat’s location and that they were bringing in the injured man, rescue personnel were dispatched to the city’s waterfront.


The boaters informed authorities they would be landing at the dock behind the Sanitary Restaurant. A law enforcement escort was also requested to meet the boat carrying the injured man when it reached Beaufort Inlet.


Sgt. Jay Smith with Atlantic Beach Police Department Water Safety Patrol was aboard the town’s 25-foot inflatable boat and met the Sea Jewel at the inlet and escorted it to the dock where Morehead City Fire and Rescue personnel waited. Mr. White was transported to Carteret General Hospital for treatment.

http://www.topsailvoice.com