RALEIGH, N.C. — The latest survivor in a record-breaking string of seven North Carolina shark attacks said Thursday he’s very fortunate to be alive and thankful for the emergency help he received after struggling ashore.
The shark attack was frightening and painful, said Andrew Costello.
“I feel very fortunate to have survived thanks to the incredible assistance I received from medical personnel on the beach, both those on duty and vacation,” Costello, 68, said in a statement.
Costello received a major but nonlethal shark bite to his thigh at midday Wednesday and underwent emergency treatment at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, said Dr. Eric Toschlog, the hospital’s chief of trauma and acutecare surgery. Costello will need multiple additional operations but was upgraded to good condition Thursday.
Costello was bitten repeatedly in waist-deep water off Ocracoke Island on the state’s Outer Banks.
Costello suffered wounds to his ribcage, lower leg, hip and both hands as he tried to fight off the animal, said Justin Gibbs, director of emergency services in Hyde County. The attack happened on a beach watched by a lifeguard as Costello swam 30 feet offshore, the National Park Service said in a news release. No other swimmers were injured.
The seven people attacked by sharks in the past three weeks is the most for the state’s coast in the 80 years for which the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File keeps records.