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American Morning

When Sharks Attack: Couple at North Carolina Beach Injured

Aired September 04, 2001 - 09:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Late yesterday, an unseen shark attacked a couple at the beach in Avon, North Carolina.

CNN's Patty Davis is there live in Avon, and medical correspondent Rea Blakey is at a Norfolk hospital, where a survivor is being treated for massive shark bites.

We'll begin with Patty, in Avon.

Patty, good morning.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.

That attack happened -- we're getting a bird's-eye view of where exactly it happened -- just behind me about a quarter of a mile. The National Park Service says it is likely that was a shark attack. Witnesses say 27-year-old man and his 23-year-old girlfriend, both Russian nationals on vacation, from the Washington, D.C., area were out, out in the water here, about 20 to 40 feet -- only about chest- high water, perhaps, about 4 feet high.

Witnesses say they heard screaming. They ran to the rescue, dragged the couple in. The attack happened very fast. Rescuers say that it was a gruesome scene; in fact, the bite marks on these two people were about 10" in diameter, one rescuer saying this had to be a shark -- there's no way it could have been a barracuda or something else.

The man was in cardiac arrest. He was getting CPR from the rescuers. When those rescuers arrived, he was missing his leg below the knee, and also some fingers. The woman then was airlifted. Rescuers say she was viable at time. She was semiconscious. She was airlifted to a hospital in Norfolk. She is missing a foot below the ankle as well as the back of her thigh, as well as one of her buttock. She had no color, the rescuers say.

The Coast Guard, we just saw, did a flyover behind us. What they are looking for today is any unusual activity -- perhaps any shark activity. And rescue squads as well are working in their four-wheel drives along the beach, looking for fins, looking for disturbances in the water.

The beaches are still open; in fact they never close. The National Park Service says they will remain open -- Leon. HARRIS: Patty, the word that the beaches were going to stay open did surprise many. Did the officials that have you spoken with say anything about what it would take to close the beaches?

DAVIS: As was the case in Virginia Beach -- of course, if they do have another sighting, they'll close a portion of the beach here in Avon, as well. But they say this is so unusual. Again, as in Virginia, I think it was 30 years they hadn't seen a shark attack. It's 40 years on the North Carolina coast. So they are sticking with the fact this is a rare occurrence, and they are not expecting any more shark attacks, and certainly hoping not. They say because of the fact that it's a rare occurrence and they haven't seen any more sightings they are going to keep things open.

HARRIS: Thanks, Patty Davis, standing by at Avon. We appreciate that.

Colleen, over to you.

COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: You heard Patty describing some of the injuries in the latest victims. They sound just awful.

Let's get a little bit more on that and the condition of the woman who survived this latest attack. Our medical correspondent Rea Blakey is outside the hospital with more.

Rea, what you can tell us?

REA BLAKEY, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Colleen, we're here at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, which is also associated with Eastern Virginia Medical School. The trauma surgeon who worked with the survivors says she is expected to survive, that her recovery may be a long one. Essentially, she is in stable condition at this point, yet still critical. She's on a ventilator. As you described, the injuries were absolutely massive. There will be a number of plastic surgeries required down the road and this trauma unit is very, very intent on making sure this patient survives this ordeal. They feel that this is absolutely the predicted course of action at this point.

As mentioned by Patty Davis, the patient, apparently, is a 22- year-old Russian national. Her family is, apparently, from the Maryland area; we're not specific on what city the family may be from. The mother is here visiting with the daughter. We're told that the survivor is trying to communicate with the family. We are not certain whether or not there has been any specific communication regarding the fate of the companion, obviously, who died in the shark attack.

What doctors are trying is trying to make sure that this series of wounds will not become more infected than they were due to the attack itself. I mentioned the eventual surgeries and plastic surgeries; however, at this point, the greatest concern is, in fact, the infections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JEFFREY RIBLEY, SENTARA NORFOLK GENERAL HOSPITAL: You'd like to see them get out in a week to 10 days and have the wounds start to begin to heal, and you can relax a little bit about infection. Although it will always be there, it is much less that far out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKEY: Doctor Ribley says that they are not out of woods just yet. The next 24 to 48 hours are absolutely crucial, obviously, into next week. The infection issue -- beyond that, they really have to wait for time to tell whether or not the neurology in the patient's leg will recover to provide her full functionality of that left leg.

As mentioned, the foot is unable to be recovered -- therefore, obviously, not attached -- a number of huge attack bites along the lower quotient of the lower part of the body.

So, Colleen, this could be a long, drawn-out process, but the patient is apparently stable, in critical condition, heavily sedated, but somewhat communicating with her family.

MCEDWARDS: Rea Blakey, thanks very much.

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