Shark Attack Victim Helped Her Friend Despite Being Bitten
The 10-year-old girl is recovering from her injuries.
— -- A 10-year-old girl in Florida is being credited with helping a friend despite being bitten by a shark.
Kaley Szarmack was enjoying an afternoon at the shore in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, Wednesday when a reportedly 3-foot-long shark took a bite out of her leg as she was exiting the surf.
After being attacked, Kaley saw the shark in the water and turned to warn a friend who was located nearby, her father, Dave Szarmack, told station WJXT-TV in Jacksonville.
“She walked herself out of the ocean and she realized that the 6-year-old was still in the water, so she turned around and went back and got the 6-year-old and took her out of the water,” her father said. “It’s emotional, but she pulled the little girl out of the water.”
Kaley was rushed to the hospital with several large lacerations.
She is still recovering in the hospital, but her father hopes she’ll be able to return to the water as soon as she can.
“I’m just so proud of her, and just so thankful that she’s doing so well,” Szarmack said.