Man bitten by shark near Disney's Vero Beach Resort in Florida
The 54-year-old man was boogie boarding in the ocean near the beachfront resort
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A man is in stable condition after a shark bit him in the leg while swimming near Disney's Vero Beach Resort in Florida.
The attack occurred on Thursday morning as the 54-year-old man boogie boarded in the ocean near the beachfront resort, which is two hours southeast of Walt Disney World, Vero News reports.
Battalion Chief Roger Dion of the Indian River County Fire Rescue told Treasure Coast Newspapers that the shark bit the man on his calf, near his knee on the front and back of his leg.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Disney's Vero Beach Resort in Vero Beach, Fla. (Google Maps)
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"He didn’t see the shark, but it appeared to be a shark bite," Dion explained.
The boogie boarder, who was reportedly vacationing at the Disney resort with his wife, later told first responders that he suddenly felt a bite. The man hopped out of the ocean around 10:30 a.m., and emergency personnel soon arrived.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I saw his face change," witness Ken Obrzut said of the shock, alleging that the shark bit the man about 30 to 40 feet out, where the waves broke. "And then he started trying to get out of the water as fast as he could."
"It was a pretty good cut," he claimed. "You could see the calf was opened."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to Obrzut, who is vacationing at the resort from Ohio, the Disney resort’s medical team immediately ran to the man to offer care. Dion said they did a "good job" with applying a tourniquet to the man’s leg and keeping the wounds covered until fire crews arrived.
"There was some blood, not an excessive amount," the fire chief told the newspaper.
In a statement, the Indian River County Sheriff's Office described the man as "alert and stable" after the attack.
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Dion told Vero News that the boogie boarder was hospitalized at Sebastian River Medical Center and flown to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The type and size of the shark remain unclear, the sheriff’s office said.
Treasure Coast Newspapers reports this the third time a swimmer has been bit in the area since March 25.