Shark attacks are very rare, but when they happen, they can be devastating.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, multiple shark attacks were reported in South Padre on July 4. Among the victims was a woman from Celina named Tabatha Sullivan.
Video footage of the aftermath of Sullivan’s attack shows a number of good Samaritans dragging her out of the water and putting a tourniquet on her leg, which was bleeding profusely.
Sullivan lost a chunk of her calf in the attack.
While it is likely of little comfort to her, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notes on its website that over 300 species of sharks exist, however, only 12 species have ever been associated with attacks on humans. The organization also states that shark attacks on people typically occur when the animal is curious or confused.
Here’s some of NBC 5 DFW’s interview with Sullivan:
“I can’t imagine that I actually had a shark attack. It’s kind of crazy,” Sullivent told NBC News.
Sullivent, who’s from Celina, was one of four people who officials say encountered the same 6-foot-long shark on July 4.
“I just thought it was a big fish, so I went to kick it away. And at that point, that’s when it bit me. And had I not pulled my legs up, it probably would’ve got my torso or something else,” she said.
On a GoFundMe page set up for Tabatha Sullivent and her husband, Cary Sullivent, she posted an update from her hospital bed:
“I lost my left calf. I have movement in my toes and circulation in my foot. I probably won’t have full mobility when I’m put back together and will not have the same leg I had before. But, I’m alive.”