In North Carolina, two teenagers lost their arms after a repeated shark attack, in a water tragedy that occurred separately on the same ocean shore just within less than two hours.
At the shores of Oak Island on Sunday, Kristen Yow and Hunter Treschl were bitten by allegedly the same shark, just 90 minutes apart, CNN reports.
Hunter, who said he didn't see it coming, shared in his hospital-documented videos that he was just swimming with his cousin in the water about waist-deep, when he felt a big fish coming close and hit him.
How an off-duty paramedic helped save the life of a #NorthCarolina #sharkattack victim. Next on #AC360 pic.twitter.com/w5I5gJ2pAb
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) June 16, 2015
"Then it just kind of hit my arm. That was the first I saw it, when it was biting up my left arm," he said.
The Colorado Springs resident had his arm amputated from his shoulder at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington.
Kristen, on the other hand, was bitten on the arm and leg, just over an hour before and less than two miles away from Hunter. Her parents, Brian and Laurie Yow told reporters she is now in a stable condition at North Carolina Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill.
Despite having her arm amputated from her elbow, Kristen and her parents are thankful that the doctors could be able to save her leg. The thirteen-year-old will remain at the hospital for further surgeries and rehabilitation.
For Hunter, this shark attack does not mean his life is over. "I've lost my arm obviously, so I have kind of two options," he said. "I can try to live my life the way I was and make an effort to do that even though I don't have an arm or I can kind of just let this be completely debilitating and bring my life down and ruin it."
In North Carolina beaches, an estimated number of 4 to 5 people are injured by excruciating shark bites every year.
