Girl survives shark attack at North Carolina state park beach
This past Sunday in Atlantic Beach N.C. a park ranger reported that 17year old Paige Winter was bitten by a shark while swimming at Fort Macon State Park.
Winter’s father, a firefighter and paramedic, began punching the shark in the nose five times until it released the girl and swam away. From there, he continued to help keep her alive with the help of beachgoers. She was then immediately transported to a hospital by helicopter after firefighters and paramedics responded at 12:19 pm.
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“Thank God our son was with her he said he punched the shark in the face 5 times before it let go. Wish we could be with them,” her grandmother Janet Winter posted on Facebook Sunday evening.
Winter suffered ‘deep lacerations to her leg, pelvic and hand areas’ and underwent surgery Sunday evening. Her grandmother posted on Facebook Sunday evening saying Winter lost a leg above the knee in the surgery and may need a hand transplant in the future.
Even though the attack came with a great cost, Winter is said to be doing well after her surgery. Family reported she was in good spirits and cracking jokes. Even more impressive, the young teen stays true to her deep love for the environment and marine life. The hospital told CBS News that she “wishes for people to continue to respect sharks in their environment and their safety.”
A GoFundMe for her medical costs raised over $4,000 as of Monday morning.
Last month, a cluster of massive great white sharks gathered about 20 miles off the coast of the Carolinas. Some of which researchers have been tracking for more than a decade.
On May 29, 2019, we reported on two great white sharks that were identified off the North Carolina Coast
“Two great white sharks have been spotted in the Outer Banks off of the coast of North Carolina. The female, named Jane, was tagged in October 2018 in Nova Scotia, Canada. The male, Brunswick, was tagged in South Carolina earlier this year. Jane has reportedly been in the area for over a month while Brunswick just arrived this week. A third tagged shark pinged last month in the same waters but there’s no word if he’s still out there. Great white sharks are a migratory species, moving to warmer waters in Florida over the winter and heading back north once the weather heats up. The sharks are about 20 miles off of the coast and pose no threats to beachgoers.”
