A victim of a shark attack spoke about the horror he experienced (5 photos)

Tabatha Sullivent was attacked by a shark off the coast of South Padre Island, Texas. The incident occurred during the Independence Day celebration on July 4th. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the predator attacked four people that day.





On July 4th, the family celebrated their daughter's 15th birthday on the beach. On that fateful day, a woman entered the water and initially mistook the shark for a large fish. She tried to push it away: “At that moment the shark bit me.”

The predator tore off half of the calf muscle. Her husband rushed to help Tabata and was also bitten.

“Probably if I hadn’t raised my legs in the water, it would have grabbed my torso.”



Sullivent said: “I won’t be able to fully recover, my mobility won’t be the same, but I’m alive.”





The American organized a fundraiser for treatment on GoFundMe.

She recently had surgery to repair as much damage as possible.

An update on the page reads: "The surgery went well. The wound needs to continue to be cleaned, the remaining muscle was wrapped around the bone. The doctor said he hopes to save the leg. As long as there is no infection. He plans to have a skin graft in a week."

Authorities said the predator was about two meters long and reiterated that sharks do not usually attack people, it was a case of mistaken identity.



"At this time, it is known that two people were bitten and two others encountered a shark, but were not injured. The victims were taken to Valley Medical Center in Brownsville. Inspectors monitored the situation along the coast, Department of Public Safety officers patrolled the area by helicopter, and county rangers assisted with crowd control on the beach," the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said.