Attacks Occurred On July 4th Leaving A 21 Year Old Man With A Severe Bite To The Leg

Shark attacks leave three injured in Texas and Florida

Attacks occurred on July 4th, leaving a 21-year-old man with a severe bite to the leg

Three people were attacked by sharks in separate attacks at Texas and Florida beaches on the Fourth of July, authorities said.

A person suffered a severe shark bite to the leg after three were attacked off South Padre Island, Texas, and a 21-year-old man was bitten in Florida, according to local authorities.

In Florida, a shark attack off the state's east coast left a man aboard a boat with a severe bite to his right arm on Friday, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, and his condition is unknown.

The incident marks the third reported shark attack in Florida in the past week. On Tuesday, a 10-year-old girl was bitten by a shark while swimming off Keaton Beach, and on Wednesday, a 44-year-old man was bitten while surfing off Cocoa Beach.

In Texas, two people were bitten by sharks near South Padre Island on Saturday.

A 21-year-old man suffered a severe bite to the leg, and a second person suffered a minor bite to the foot, according to the Cameron County Sheriff's Office.

The 21-year-old man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, and his condition is unknown.

The recent spate of shark attacks has raised concerns about the safety of swimming in the ocean, but experts say that upticks in shark attacks alone are not cause for concern.

"Shark attacks are rare, and the risk of being attacked is very low," said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida.

"However, it's important to be aware of the risks and to take precautions when swimming in the ocean, such as swimming in a group, avoiding areas where sharks are known to congregate, and not swimming at night."

In 2023, Florida had 16 unprovoked shark bite incidents, according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File. That makes up 44% of the US total of 36 unprovoked shark bite incidents in 2023.