‘A traumatic scene’: Bystanders rush to help teenager bitten by a shark

LIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC/Gray News) - Bystanders on a nearby dock provided first aid to a teenager bitten by a shark as they awaited first responders.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Charleston said crews responded to reports of a shark bite near Ossabaw Island at about 4:06 p.m. Wednesday. They said watchstanders coordinated with the Liberty County Emergency Agency to meet the boat at the Sunbury Crab Docks.

Terry Tatum said she was on her boat at the dock when she noticed something was wrong.

“I was sitting right here reading a book on the back of the boat and we saw a boat coming up and we could tell from a distance that there was trauma going on,” Tatum said.

She said the boat docked in front of hers and the teen’s father got out and ran for help.

“And I went to the boat and saw three teenagers on the boat and a traumatic scene,” Tatum said.

“They told me that they were fishing. They caught a large shark, five or six feet, and tried to unhook it and the shark latched onto the young man’s right thigh,” Tatum said.

Tatum said one of the teens was badly bleeding from his thigh. She retrieved a first aid kit and assisted.

Further up the dock at the Sunbury Crab Company, McIntosh County EMS volunteer BJ Comer heard the commotion and said her instincts took over.

“I ran to my car and grabbed my jump bag thinking we need a tourniquet. When I ran down the dock with my coworker, the ambulance were pulling up at the same time. My coworker and I were able to load the patient off the boat and they transported from EMS,” Comer said.

The Coast Guard said the victim was transferred to a local hospital. The victim’s identity and condition were not known Wednesday night.