Local News

Man bit by nurse shark

Posted: 06/15/12 at 4:15 pm EDT

NEAR KEY WEST, Fla. (WSVN) -- A nurse shark reportedly took a bite out of a man down in the lower Keys.

The shark attack happened Friday at Summerland Key, around mile marker 25, not far from Key West.

Monroe County Fire Rescue found the 23-year-old male victim with a bite wound on his calf. "This young male and possibly some other folks that were there were interacting with the shark when the shark suddenly turned around and bit him on the calf," said Becky Herrin of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

The victim was transported to the Lower Keys Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities believe the attack could have been avoided. Officials urge residents never to interact with a shark, no matter how harmless it may seem.

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