SHARK ATTACK
Gut-wrenching moment mom found her ‘lifeless’ daughter on the sand after shark mauled her in waist deep water
Stats have revealed where shark attacks occurred the most last year
A MOM recalled the horrifying moment she spotted her lifeless daughter on the sand after she had been mauled by a shark.
Lulu Gribbin, an Alabama teen, was savaged in Friday’s attack in Florida and ended up losing a hand and a leg.
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Ann Blair Gribbin compared her child’s injuries to something out of a movie, per a page.
She revealed the beach in Walton County, northwest Florida, was packed with people standing on the sand looking toward the water.
She and her family heard speculation that a shark had been in the water.
Gribbin rushed to the beach as her daughter didn’t answer her phone.
She revealed her daughter had suffered leg injuries and was screaming.
“She was lifeless her eyes closed mouth white and pale,” Gribbin said.
Gribbin said her daughter’s eyes were open as she held her hand.
She admitted she didn't know how long Lulu had been lying on the sand.
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Lulu was rushed to the hospital and doctors were forced to amputate her right leg halfway up from her knee to her hip.
She had also lost around two-thirds of the blood in her body following the savage attack.
Doctors also warned that Lulu would need four to five surgeries.
Woman, 45, loses an arm and two teens injured in back-to-back shark attacks near US tourist hotspots
Gribbin revealed that Lulu’s first words were “I made it” as she spoke to her family from her hospital bed.
Lulu has since opened up about the mauling.
She revealed a man and a younger child helped scramble her to the shoreline.
Meanwhile, doctors on the beach wrapped a tourniquet around Lulu's injuries.
Shark attacks in 2023
In 2023, there were 79 shark bites globally.
Of that number, 69 were unprovoked and 10 were provoked fatal bites.
The United States had 36 unprovoked attacks which accounted for 52% of the incidents worldwide.
Two of the attacks, one in California and the other in Hawaii, were fatal.
Consistently, Florida has had the most attacks in the country with 2023 being no different. The Sunshine State had 16 attacks last year.
Three of the 10 fatalities in 2023 happened in a remote surfing spot off the coast of southern Australia known as The Eyre Peninsula.
The area is home to seals, so they lure in great whites.
The other five fatal attacks were spread out across the globe with one in the Bahamas, Egypt, Mexico, and New Caledonia.
According to Florida Museum's
Gribbin has described her daughter as strong, beautiful, and brave as she paid a heartfelt tribute.
“At this point, we will have multiple surgeries in the days to come and our lives will be forever changed,” she admitted.
"She is truly a miracle. We have a long road ahead and our journey is just beginning!"
She paid tribute to the doctors who saved her daughter’s life.
Lulu's friend McCray was also bitten by a shark on her foot, per the ABC affiliate .
An hour and a half before Lulu and her pal were attacked, a woman, 45, was also mauled.
HORROR MAULING
Fire chiefs revealed that part of her left arm was amputated.
Officials suspect the same shark attacked the three victims.
The spate of maulings was the first attack in the county for three years, per local media reports.
The last shark attack fatality in Walton County happened in 2005.
Cops in Walton County have stressed that sharks are always present in the Gulf.
"Swimmers and beachgoers should be cautious when swimming and stay aware of their surroundings," officers said.
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The trio of attacks comes just weeks after Damiana Humphrey, 19, was mauled by a beast.
She said she just started punching the predator when she realized it was attached to her hand.
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