Three swimmers, including two teenagers, were attacked by sharks in Walton County, Florida, on Friday. Officials report significant injuries and critical conditions following the incidents at Watersound Beach and Seacrest Beach.
Florida, (Bollywood Fever): Three swimmers, including two teenagers, were attacked by sharks in two separate incidents at beaches in Walton County, Florida, on Friday, according to authorities.
A 45-year-old woman was swimming with her husband just past a sandbar at Watersound Beach when she was bitten by a shark around 1:20 p.m., South Walton Fire District Chief Ryan Crawford reported.
The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, suffered “significant trauma” to her midsection, and part of her left arm had to be amputated, Crawford said. She was transported in critical condition to HCA Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.
Approximately 90 minutes later, at Seacrest Beach, about four miles from Watersound Beach, a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl were attacked by a shark while with friends near the first sandbar in waist-deep water, according to Crawford.
One of the teens sustained “significant injuries” from the shark bite and was medevacked to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola Hospital in critical condition, Crawford said. The other teen suffered flesh wounds to her foot and was taken to Ascension Bay Medical Center in stable condition.
Walton County Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson, Jr. stated that officials ordered beaches closed after the first incident, but the order was not fully implemented before the teens were attacked.
Authorities noted that changing the beach warning flags along the coastline would have taken about an hour and a half to complete.
Sheriff Adkinson Jr. mentioned that the last shark attack in the county occurred in 2021, with the previous shark-related fatality dating back to 2005.
“This is an anomaly … everything from it being three victims to where it’s at,” the sheriff commented. “All we can do is respond, control, and mitigate what we can.”
Walton County authorities have contacted ocean wildlife experts at Mote Marine in Pensacola, Florida, to assist in investigating the incident, Sheriff Adkinson Jr. added.
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