Florida

‘It Went Straight to Me': 13-Year-Old Girl Survives Shark Attack in Florida

She said despite the shark encounter, she plans to head back into the ocean as soon as her stitches are out.

NBC Universal, Inc.

A 13-year-old girl is sharing her story after being attacked by a shark several times in St. Lucie County, Fla. on Thursday afternoon.

Ella Reed says she was swimming in the ocean on North Hutchinson Island when a shark bypassed her friend and bit her stomach, finger, arm and leg.

"It went straight to me and got my stomach first, and I tried blocking it with my arm and my hand and it kind of slipped in and got my finger and my arm and it swooped around and got my leg again," Reed said. "It didn't really hurt at first because of all the adrenaline," according to NBC affiliate WPTV.

As soon as the teenagers realized what had happened, they got out of the water, and Reed's friend drove home to her parents on a golf cart.

"First, initially I seriously thought it was a prank," Devin Reed, the child's mother, told WPTV.

Reed returned to Fort Pierce Inlet State Park on Friday, a day after her encounter with what she believed to be a 4-foot bull shark.

Reed said despite the shark encounter, she plans to head back into the ocean as soon as her stitches are out.

Contact Us