Another day, another shark attack. Although maulings are rare, they do happen, and they can resemble a scene from Jaws when they do happen.
Florida may be the shark attack capital of the world, but Australia has its fair share of maulings as well. Recently, a woman was left in serious condition and a beach closed after an attack.
The fish shredded her leg, leaving her with severe injuries to her limb, via New York Post. The incident happened earlier today at Sydney's Gunyah Beach. The tranquil sand became a triage center. First responders worked to stabilize a 59-year-old woman after a shark attacked her. Fortunately, two bystanders managed to pull her from the water.
After nearly a half hour of stabilizing the poor woman, they took her to a nearby hospital in an ambulance.
"Where she was was quite an isolated part of the beach, there was only pedestrian access through 50 stairs," NSW Ambulance acting inspector Andrew Bibby said. "But we loaded her onto one of our boards and carried her around about 800 meters to Bundeena wharf where we could load her into an ambulance."
Shark Attacks Woman
Meanwhile, a Sutherland Shire Police spokesperson spoke out about the attack. Apparently, the woman was about 50 feet away from the shore when the attack happened.
"She screamed for help and two men entered the water and moved her to shore and administered first aid," a spokesman said. "The woman sustained severe injuries to her leg and is in a critical condition."
So far, officials haven't been able to identify the species of shark. The animal disappeared after the attack. In the name of safety, police closed the beaches around the attack. This included all Bate Bay beaches around Cronulla, Elouera, Wanda, Greenhills, Hordens, Gunyah and Silver
"All beaches in the local vicinity have been closed with the general public advised not to swim," a spokesman said. "In the interests of public safety, beachgoers are asked to follow instructions from our lifeguards and to obey signage displayed on site."
A bystander also described the chaotic aftermath of the attack.
"A woman with deep lacerations above the right knee. People were quick to jump in the water to bring her to shore and to apply pressure to stop the bleeding," Kevin McKay said."Local paramedics arrived within 19 minutes. I think she will be okay."
