17-year-old rushed to hospital after shark encounter off Galveston Texas
The incident occurred while the teen was reportedly attempting to bring the shark onto a boat
A 17-year-old boy has been hospitalized after being bitten by a shark off the coast of Galveston, Texas, in a medical emergency that unfolded while he was reportedly attempting to bring the animal onto a boat.
The incident occurred around 3:15 p.m. local time on Monday, May 25, when the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard after reports of a shark attack offshore, according to local media outlets including ABC13.
Authorities said the teenager was aboard a boat with his father and another individual when he was bitten. The group had reportedly been trying to bring the shark onto the vessel when the attack took place, though officials have not confirmed the species involved.
Following the bite, the teen’s father immediately applied a tourniquet in an effort to control severe bleeding before emergency responders arrived at the scene.
Rescue crews and Coast Guard personnel later applied a second tourniquet while working to stabilize the teenager, who remained conscious and alert throughout the response, according to reports.
The group had been offshore for several hours and was returning toward the Galveston Yacht Basin when their boat reportedly became disabled near the jetties, prompting the distress call. The cause of the mechanical failure has not yet been determined.
The injured teenager was transported to the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston for treatment. His current condition has not been publicly disclosed.
Officials have not released further details about the circumstances of the shark encounter or the events leading up to the attack.
