A teenager in Texas was bitten by a shark on Memorial Day after catching the animal and bringing it onto his boat during a fishing trip. The 17-year-old was in Galveston on Monday afternoon when law enforcement notified the Coast Guard Command Center about the incident.
Details of the Incident
According to Coast Guard Lieutenant Chandler Robinson, the teen and two others, including his father, had hoisted the shark onto the vessel. The father immediately applied a tourniquet to the bite and began heading to shore, but the boat became disabled in the Gulf, as reported by Fox 61.
Galveston Island Beach Patrol responded around 3:30 p.m. after reports that someone bitten two hours earlier was on a boat experiencing mechanical issues, said Beach Patrol Chief Austin Kirwin. Beach Patrol and the Coast Guard reached the group and applied a second tourniquet to the teenager's arm.
Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen stated that while the size or species of the shark could not be confirmed, the teen was bitten on the arm. He clarified, 'All the reports were that it was a shark attack, but it wasn't; [the shark] was actually brought onto the boat and the shark ended up biting [the teen].'
Aftermath and Response
Once on land, the alert teen was transported to the University of Texas Medical Branch, according to ABC 13. His condition as of Tuesday remains unclear. Fullen commented, 'It's a possibility getting in the water you may get bit by a shark. It's like going into the Everglades, you might get bit by an alligator.'
Social media posts suggest the teen may have been bitten while trying to remove a fishing hook from the shark's mouth. Shark attacks in Texas are rare, with only 19 reports since 1911, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. The Daily Mail reached out to the Coast Guard Command Center, the Galveston County Sheriff's Department, and the Galveston Island Beach Patrol for comment.
