Latest news with #HiltonHeadIslandFireRescue
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Beachgoer airlifted after South Carolina suspected shark attack
A beachgoer in South Carolina suffered serious injuries in what local first-responders are calling a suspected shark attack. The incident, in which local officials said the victim suffered major injuries to her leg, happened in waters off the south end of Hilton Head Island, a local dispatcher confirmed to USA TODAY Thursday, June 19. The island is about 45 miles northeast of Savannah, Georgia. "The incident involved a patient with a leg injury consistent with lacerations typically associated with a shark bite," a Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue official wrote in press release obtained by USA TODAY. Crews responded at 12:07 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, to a medical emergency near beach mile marker 24 in Sea Pines Beach, according to the release. Lifeguards and firefighters treated the victim at the scene before she was transported to Hilton Head Island Airport, the release continues, where a medical helicopter flew her to a Savannah facility for further treatment. The victim's age, name and condition were not immediately known on Thursday, June 19, but first-responders at the scene determined the injuries to be non-life threatening. Shark siting: Massive great white shark resurfaces off North Carolina coast The incident marked the first reported likely shark bite of Hilton Head's summer season, Shore Beach Service director Mike Wagner told USA TODAY. The agency, which provides year-round beach patrol for 13.5 miles of the island's beaches according to its website, also responded to assist the victim. Local charter captain Chip Michalove, The Island Packet reported, said Hilton Head beaches see two or three shark attacks each year, "occasionally seeing spikes of up to a half-dozen." USA TODAY has reached out to Hilton Head fire officials for more Carolina suspected shark attack: Warning issued toa beach visitors If confirmed, the attack could be the state's first reported shark encounter with a human in 2025. According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), 47 people were bitten in unprovoked attacks last year. Four of them died, including one person in the United States. Each year, according to ISAF, the world averages about 65 documented shark attacks. On average, six fatal attacks are reported each year. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shark attack reported in Hilton Head, victim suffered major leg injury
23-06-2025
2 shark attacks reported at Hilton Head Island in 1 week: Officials
A second beachgoer has been bitten by a shark on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, within one week, local officials said. The latest incident was around noon on Sunday at Coligny Beach Park, Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue said. The victim suffered from leg lacerations consistent with a shark bite and was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to rescue officials. Another shark bite was reported on Hilton Head on Tuesday. That victim also suffered a non-life-threatening injury to the leg and was airlifted to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, according to the fire department. There were 28 unprovoked shark bites in the U.S. last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. Florida recorded the most with 14; South Carolina had two.
Fox News
20-06-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Two shark attacks reported in separate vacation hotspots as summer beach season starts
A South Carolina beachgoer is lucky to be alive after walking away with serious injuries from a suspected shark attack earlier this week. The incident reportedly occurred off the coast of the south end of Hilton Head Island on Tuesday, a Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue official confirmed to Fox News Digital. "The incident involved a patient with a leg injury consistent with lacerations typically associated with a shark bite," the department said in a statement. Local rescue crews were dispatched to beach marker 24 in Sea Pines Beach at approximately 12:07 p.m. regarding reports of a medical emergency. Firefighters and lifeguards subsequently treated the victim at the scene before transporting her to Hilton Head Island Airport, where she was then airlifted to a local facility in Savannah for further medical treatment. Local officials declined Fox News Digital's request for information regarding the victim's identity and condition, citing privacy regulations. The attack comes just days after a 9-year-old girl was bitten by a shark on Florida's Gulf Coast, according to Fox 13. Leah Lendel was enjoying a snorkeling trip with her family in Boca Grande on June 11 when a shark bit her hand, the outlet reported. The injuries left her hand "hanging by a little piece of skin," a witness reportedly said. Lendel was pulled from the water by a nearby construction crew and airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, where she underwent surgery involving artery grafts, bone reconstruction and nerve repair. "I didn't see anything," Lendel said at a news conference Thursday. "I was just snorkeling and I went up to breathe, then something hard bit me and it tried to take me away. Then I pick up my hand and it's all in blood. Then, I started screaming with my mom. And then, my dad was with me. He picked me up, then we ran to the road. Doctors were able to save Lendel's hand, a feat they partially credit to how "clean" the bite was. "The shark's teeth are so sharp that the cut through the wrist is clean and not jagged, and it doesn't ruin all the tissue," Dr. Alfred Hess said. Lendel anticipates she will return to the water once she has made a full recovery. "She's done a fantastic job, I can already tell you," Dr. Joshua Linnell said. "I just keep looking over at those fingers because we worked hard on that." Lendel's family did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
19-06-2025
- Health
9-year-old girl recounts moment she was bitten by shark while snorkeling in Florida
A 9-year-old girl who was bitten on the hand by a shark in Florida is speaking out about the terrifying moment she was attacked. Leah Lendel was snorkeling near Boca Grande on June 11 when "something hard bit me and then tried to tug me away," she said at a news conference Thursday alongside her parents and the doctors who treated her. "Then I pick up my hand and it's all in blood," Leah said. "Then I started screaming with my mom." "There was so much blood in the water right next to me," Leah's mom, Nadia Lendel, said at the news conference. "In an instant, I knew it's a shark attack." "I just started to scream to my husband," Nadia Lendel recalled. Meanwhile, Leah's "instincts kicked in" and she ran out of the water, her mom said. "Then my dad was with me," Leah said. "He picked me up and we ran to the road." Leah's parents expressed their gratitude for the construction workers who were eating lunch on the beach and immediately ran to help them call 911 and put Leah's arm in a tourniquet. Leah's dad said EMS then responded within minutes. Tampa General Hospital doctors praised the first responders for choosing to fly the two hours in the helicopter to their hospital where they said they had the expertise to help Leah within the six-hour window to save the tendons, tissue and muscle. Doctors said they operated on Leah's hand less than an hour after she came through the hospital doors. At the hospital, "I was trying to hold myself together," said Leah's dad, Jay Lendel. "I think I was crying more than she was." Tampa General Hospital Dr. Alfred Hess said luckily a shark bite is not jagged, but leaves a clean cut on the wrist that doesn't ruin all the tissue. First Leah's bone was stabilized and then doctors said they worked on blood flow. Some blood vessels were taken from Leah's leg to help get blood flow back to her hand, the doctors said. Leah will next undergo physical therapy, her doctors said, and eventually the pins in her hand will be removed. "I'm just thankful for everybody," Jay Lendel said. "I'm just very thankful she's alive." Meanwhile, another shark bite was reported on Tuesday on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The victim suffered a non-life-threatening injury to the leg and was airlifted to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, according to the Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue. There were 28 unprovoked shark bites in the U.S. last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. Florida recorded the most with 14; South Carolina had two.
