A gruesome shark attack in North Carolina could have been much worse had it not been for a heroic father who physically attacked, and beat, the shark into submission. The incident occurred on June 2, 2019, at around 12:30 PM at Fort Macon State Park in North Carolina. 17-year-old Paige Winter of New Bern was attacked by a shark near the shoreline in shallow water. Although Paige will survive, she lost a leg and fingers during the attack.
A witness described the attack:
“All of a sudden, everyone started screaming, and I looked to my left and they were rushing towards this little girl. She looked little but she’s actually 17. And it looked like she was belly crawling on the beach and officials were running towards her and whistles were blowing and everyone was screaming and they quickly got everybody out of the water.”
The girl’s father heard her screams and sprang into action. According to witnesses, the man threw a flurry of punches at the shark. After hitting the shark in the head several times, the beast released its grip on the girl and retreated to deeper water, out of the father’s angry reach.
The teenage girl was airlifted to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina where she was treated. Doctors were able to save her life, but the lad lost a leg above the knee and some of her fingers. Today, reports indicate she is recovering and in good spirits.
“Per Marcy Winter (Paige’s Mom) Paige is out of surgery and awake, she’s still pretty groggy but cracking jokes. She wants everyone to know that Sharks are still good people.”
The beach where the attack occurred is currently closed to the public.
