On January 22 an unidentified teenager was bitten on the hand or lower arm by a shark around 2 p.m. off the coast of Indian River County, Florida.
The young man who was bitten received a small puncture wound.
The River County fire-rescue team picked him up near Shorelands Drive East and State Road A1A, south of the Vero Beach city limits.
The teen was taken to the Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute for a nonlife-threatening wound.
During 2016, two shark attack bites were reported in Vero County. In March, Daniel Kenny was in waist deep water when he was bitten on the right foot. Kenny had some damage to his Achilles tendon, and during surgery, doctors found a small fragment of a shark’s tooth.
In May of 2016, Mary Macus was bitten while swimming in an area nicknamed shark alley. The 57-year-old was unaware the location was known for the abundance of sharks when she was bitten on the thigh. She received stitches for several puncture wounds.
There have been a total of 7 shark attack bites in 2017, none of which were fatal; 3 were reported in the US, all of which have occurred in Florida. Three have been reported in Australia, none of which were fatal. One had no injury.
All locations have been marked on the 2017 shark attack bites tracking map.
