Three Hospitalized in Florida Panhandle After Back-to-Back Shark Attacks
A woman had part of her arm amputated, and two teenage girls were hospitalized following consecutive shark attacks off the Florida panhandle on Friday, according to local officials.
The first attack occurred around 1:20 p.m. at Watersound Beach in Walton County, where a 45-year-old woman was swimming with her husband just beyond the sandbar. She suffered "significant trauma" to her midsection and had part of her left arm amputated due to the shark bite, South Walton Fire District Chief Ryan Crawford reported. She was airlifted to HCA Fort Walton-Destin Hospital in critical condition.
About 90 minutes later, and approximately four miles down the beach, two girls, aged 15 and 17, were attacked while swimming with friends in waist-deep water. One girl sustained "significant injuries" to her upper leg and hand and was airlifted to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola Hospital in critical condition. The other teen had minor injuries to her foot and was taken by EMS to a nearby hospital.
"This is an anomaly... everything from it being three victims, to where it’s at," Walton County Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson, Jr. told reporters. "All we can do is respond, control, and mitigate what we can." Following the attacks, officials closed the ocean for swimmers.
The last shark attack in the county occurred in 2021, with the previous fatal attack dating back to 2005.
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