Ocean City Beach Patrol is investigating an incident in which a girl suffered injuries while in the ocean Monday. Her family told TV that medical staff treated the injury as a suspected shark bite.
Beach Patrol Capt. Butch Arbin confirmed the Beach Patrol responded to the incident at 4:21 p.m. near 119th Street. A lifeguard helped bandage the lacerations to the girl’s leg, and Beach Patrol transported the girl to the family’s vehicle, as the parents said they did not want emergency medical services transport to a hospital.
The girl’s father told WBRE-TV that the family transported her to nearby Atlantic General Hospital for care. The Plains Township, Pennsylvania, family was vacationing at the resort. The news report also included photos of the girl’s injured leg and noted 42 stitches for the 20 cuts. The report didn’t indicate if she saw a shark or other marine life in the area at the time she was injured. Medical staff didn’t say what type of shark they suspected, according to her mother.
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Arbin said that based on the marks in a photo shared with WBRE, Beach Patrol believes that if it was a bite, it was not an attack. If the interaction were an attack, on the other hand, the alleged creature would not have let go and the lacerations would have been larger than those in the photo.
“The Ocean City Beach Patrol continues to seek opinions from experts in the field, rather than draw our own conclusions. At this time, the Ocean City Beach Patrol is working with the Department of Natural Resources to determine what caused the injury. Marine life has not been ruled out,” Ocean City spokesperson Jessica Waters told WJZ-TV.
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Source: GANNETT Syndication Service