One Oklahoma teen was in a fight for her life after a shark clamped down her hand. When it came down to survival, she decided to fight back against the predator.
On May 28, 19-year-old Damiana Humphrey and her family were on vacation to Galveston, Texas. Like many families, they decided to hit the beach for some spring fun. Humphrey was about waste-deep in the water when she said her sister-in-law noticed a shape among the waves.
"As I was turning, a shark grabbed a hold of my hand. I looked down and there was a shark attached to my hand, so I guess I started punching it," she said. "That part is kind of blurry to me." Fortunately, Humphrey's moment of bravery ended up working. The shark let go of her hand and swam away. She immediately grabbed her siblings and got out of the ocean.
"They said [the shark] was about four to five feet," she said. However, the damage was done. Humphrey required surgery from the bite. The animal ended up severing four of her tendons. She won't be able to use her hand for several weeks and will need physical therapy.
Shark Attacks Teen
"They said I should make a full recovery with my physical therapy," she said. "Honestly, I'm just glad it wasn't as bad as it could have been."
Meanwhile, Peter Davis Galveston Beach Patrol Chief told Fox 26 that the attack was unusual. He said that the area isn't known for bites. There's only a attack every couple of years. It's not the shark attack capital of the world. That's for sure.
"It's really rare for us to have shark bites here in Galveston. I've worked a few of them in my career and the ones I've seen were shark bites, not attacks. Meaning it was a case of mistaken identity where they latched onto a human and swam away it sounds like this may have been similar to that," he said.
However, they are still out there. It is the ocean after all. Dr. Kesley Banks Research scientist for Sportfish Center Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi said the area has several sharks. "Especially off Texas, the most common species are black tips, spinner sharks, bull sharks. Around the summer we see hammerheads and tiger sharks. They're always there," she said.
