Results by Google
Home News 

Story

Shark Attacked Teen, Mauled Leg

Posted: 12:36 am EDT July 9, 2006Updated: 1:03 am EDT July 9, 2006

Saturday night, doctors at an Orlando hospital were trying to save the leg of a 14-year-old boy, who had been badly mauled by a shark.

That afternoon, the boy was swimming in the ocean off Playalinda Beach, east of Titusville, when he was attacked.

His screams attracted attention from the people onshore.

“We heard him yelling,” Rocky Vitale told Channel 9 Eyewitness News. “At first, we thought he was stuck in the surf. We ran out to help him and found out he had been bit by a shark, and he was bleeding pretty bad from his leg wounds.”

Rescue crews determined the shark had torn through much of the boy’s calf and Achilles tendon. Rescuers did say the boy was conscious and talking once he was brought onshore. He was taken to Parrish Medical Center by medical helicopter. A couple of hours later, a second helicopter took him to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando.

Authorities did not release the boy’s name. There’s also no word on what, if anything, may have provoked the attack.

More Headlines

County-By-County News

Strange News Photos

From brilliant to bizarre, our 99-photo slideshow captures a variety of strange news. Photos are added often. Take A Look!

Get Hyper-Local On WFTV.com

Visit our County-By-County section for the latest news headlines out of your county. » County-By-County

When you take videos or photos of Central Florida news or weather events, iWitness is your place to upload them. » iWitness

Visit your headquarters for county-by-county news and resources, and a place to share community videos and photos. » 9Central

Follow WFTV On Twitter

Want to know about the latest breaking news or "can't miss" stories? Then sign up to follow us on Twitter. Learn more here!
Facebook: Be Our Fan!
MySpace: Be Our Friend