As I've previously reported, a shark turned a 4th of July celebration in Texas into a blood bath. Now, one of the shark attack victims is speaking out, and she said her injuries are extensive. She said she's missing most of her calf following the attack.
She initially just thought the shark was a "big fish." The shark attacked Tabatha Sullivent and her husband Cary while at the beach and additionally two others as well. The two were swimming in South Padre Island. Still in the hospital, Sullivent told FOX4 about the attack. She said she and her daughter were swimming past the sandbar. That's when the shark suddenly took a chunk out of her leg.
"I turned around and saw something dark in the water. And I thought it was a big fish, and I was going to kick it away. That's when it grabbed me," the mom recalled. "I think it let go of me, and I was able to start swimming to the beach with one leg and my arms. It didn't grab me there. Then I got closer to the beach, and people started pulling me out. My husband had me first but then he dropped me because the shark was in a pursuit."
Shark Attack Victim Speaks Out
That's when grisly footage showed the aftermath of the attack. The shark attack victim fell in the surf, unable to stand as the shark stalked nearby. Fortunately, bystanders made a makeshift tourniquet for Sullivent.
Sullivent is adjusting to her new reality as a shark attack victim.
"My leg is pretty much gone," Sullivent said. "They flushed it out today. It's all the way to the bone. It did not go through the bone."
"If my husband didn't jump into action and everyone else on the beach. If I didn't have people pulling me out — not just to pull me out but jumping between the shark and me — I don't think it would've stopped," she added.
Sadly, she said that she could only manage to wiggle a few of her toes. She doesn't have much mobility in her leg. She's going to have to have another surgery to try to get mobility. Texas Parks and Wildlife officials described what happened as "abnormal and unprecedented." It's not something that usually happens in the area.
