Surfer bitten by shark in Sebastian Inlet State Park

Surfer bitten by shark in Sebastian Inlet State Park

By Lamaur Stancil

TCPalm.com

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY —
A 21-year-old surfer who was bit on the arm by a shark drove himself to a fire station for treatment Tuesday, authorities said.

The 911 call was made at 5:25 p.m. by the surfer who had been at Sebastian Inlet State Park, said Indian River County Fire Rescue Assistant Fire Chief Brian Burkeen.

The surfer may have been headed toward the fire station on the Wabasso Causeway as he called 911, Burkeen said.

Paramedics treated him for a wound on his arm and took him to the Sebastian River Medical Center, Burkeen said.

The bite was not life-threatening, paramedics said.

Florida State Parks spokeswoman Jennifer Diaz said her agency was notified about the incident by the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.

Lifeguards and rangers at the inlet have not had any shark sightings in several weeks.

The man’s name was not immediately available, but Burkeen said he lives in the county.

The last reported shark bite in the area was Sept. 4 in Brevard County, when a man had wounds on his hand after being nipped in Melbourne Beach.

Before that, German visitor Karin Ulrike Stei was attacked by a shark at Humiston Beach in Vero Beach on May 9. It bit through her leg, requiring multiple surgeries. She is recovering in Germany and is walking with crutches.

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