TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Over the Fourth of July weekend, three separate shark attacks in Volusia County resulted in two men being hospitalized and a 14-year-old sustaining injuries, according to a report by Yahoo.
The latest incident occurred around 11 a.m. on Monday when a 14-year-old boy was bitten by a shark while running into the water at Ponce Inlet. The shark may have been spooked by the sudden movement, News Time reported. The teen, from Flagler County, suffered a bite to his calf but sustained non-life-threatening injuries and received stitches.
This attack followed two other shark bites at New Smyrna Beach last week. On Friday, a 26-year-old man was in about 5 feet of water on an inner tube when a shark bit his left foot. He was treated at the scene and later taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The day before, on July 4, a 21-year-old man from Ohio was playing football in knee-deep water at New Smyrna Beach when a shark bit his right foot. He also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment. report from USA Today.
New Smyrna Beach is often referred to as the “shark capital of the world” due to the high number of shark attacks in the area. Since 1882, Volusia County has reported 351 unprovoked shark bites, according to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF).
