A 19-year-old Oklahoma girl recalled how she survived a shark bite off the coast near Galveston, Texas, while vacationing with her family last week.
Damiana Humphrey said FOX26 Houston She was swimming in waist-deep water with her siblings when a shark took her hand in its mouth.
“I turned around and the shark grabbed my hand,” the boy said. “I looked down and the shark had attached itself to my hand so I guess I started punching it. That part is kind of a blur.”
The shark eventually let go of Damiana’s hand, and she and her siblings rushed to shore.
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A shark bit a 19-year-old girl off the coast of Galveston, Texas, severing four tendons in her hand. (FOX26 Houston KRIV)
Damiana described the encounter as a “haze” but said she and her siblings thought the shark was about four to five feet long.
It is unclear what species of shark bit the boy.
Damiana said she and her siblings were in waist-deep water when the shark appeared in the waves. (FOX26 Houston KRIV)
According to the media, Damiana was rushed to hospital with four severed tendons in her hand and underwent surgery.
Florida has been named the shark attack capital of the world
Damiana told the station she is expected to make a full recovery with physical therapy.
Some of the most common types of sharks found off the coast of Texas include the bull shark, pictured above, the spinner shark, the blacktip reef shark, and the fan shark. (Getty Images, File)
“Honestly, I’m just glad it didn’t get that bad,” the boy said.
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Galveston Beach Patrol Captain Peter Davis told the station that shark bites are not common in the area, but previous incidents he’s seen have involved sharks mistaking humans for prey and quickly letting them go.
