A 3-year-old girl was bitten by a shark off Martin County Florida.
Violet Veatch was in the waters of Bathtub Reef Beach August 27 when her leg was bitten by a suspected bull shark.
“I had my head down in the water looking for her sunglasses,” Violet’s mother Jessica told CBS12. “She was like three feet away from me and then I heard her scream.”
Veatch’s instinct kicked in and she ran to her daughter.
“There was blood in the water, I picked her up and there was meat hanging off her leg,” she said.
She carried her daughter to the beach when a visiting doctor ran to the family’s aid.
“He just took over from there, he took her from my arms, and took her up to the lifeguard station to start the tourniquet so that she didn’t lose too much blood.” Veatch said.
Rescue personal were dispatched around 1:19 p.m. and Violet was flown to an area hospital.
The wound on the girl’s right leg below the knee was described as a big hole that was down to the bone.
Jessica believes the shark may have been lured to the swim area by spearfishermen.
Some teenagers were spotted dragging a bloody fish they had speared through the water.
“There were people there that were spearfishing off of the reef, that should not be allowed. They shouldn’t be taking dead carcasses of animals into a swimming area.” Jessica said.
Violet was able to move her toes last night, but may have some complications due to the injury.
A plastic surgeon is scheduled to look at the wound and Violet will be in the hospital for a few more weeks.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with Violet’s medical care.
The beach was closed for the remainder of the day.
Earlier this year a lifeguard was bitten by a shark around 6 miles north of Bathtub Reef Beach.
The unidentified man was paddling off Jensen Beach Jan 13 when a shark bit his hand causing a minor injury.
There have been a total of 70* shark attack bites in 2017, 5 of which were fatal*; 34 were reported in the US, with 22 occurring in Florida** and one in Hawaii. Nine occurred in Australia, one of which was fatal and one with no injury. Four unconfirmed worldwide and not included in the total count.
All locations have been marked on the 2017 Shark Attack Bites Tracking Map.
*Two may be scavenge **One report may have been outside of Florida waters.
