It was the first shark attack in the area in five years.
A single shark is believed to have caused chaos at South Padre Island, TX on July 4 as beachgoers flocked to Gulf of Mexico for the holiday. Four people were attacked, with two sustaining serious injuries.
The first attack occurred around 11 a.m. when a man had his leg severely bitten. The man's father-in-law, Rayner Cardenas, told KRGV 5 News that the family had been swimming when his son-in-law was suddenly pulled under the water.
"I turned around, and he wasn't there anymore," Cardenas recalled. "I started swimming towards him, and he jumped out of the water saying shark, shark, shark and that's when adrenaline kicked in. I started swimming after him."
Another woman who was attacked was left with an entire chunk of her calf missing, as she lay in the surf bleeding while bystanders rushed to help apply a tourniquet to her leg. (Photos and video can be seen here, warning the images are graphic.) The woman's daughter posted on social media that as of Thursday evening, she was in stable condition at a hospital nearby and awaiting surgery in the morning.
At least two other people, including the husband of the woman who was bitten, sustained minor injuries. One victim was said to have been "grazed" by the shark while another man fought off the apex predator and received stitches.
The attacks mark the first in the area in five years. Officials are monitoring the coastline with drones, but the shark is believed to have retreated into deeper waters.
County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. said in a statement that officials are working to patrol the beaches and take appropriate action. "I want to thank our local good Samaritans and emergency response personnel for acting quickly and appropriately to aid those that were in need," Treviño said.
In a news release, Texas Parks & Wildlife noted that shark encounters of this nature are not a common occurrence in Texas, and that when attacks do occur, they are usually a case of mistaken identity by sharks looking for food.
"If you see large schools of bait near the shore, this typically an indicator a predator is nearby, or if you see a shark in the water, calmly exit the water and wait for the predatory wildlife to pass," the agency notes.
