By Rick Pfeiffer
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. 鈥� Niagara Falls Firefighter Josh Carey and his girlfriend were wrapping up a visit to a Florida beach a week ago Friday when people suddenly began to scream and the gulf waters lapping up to the sand turned red.
鈥淚t was our first day at the beach, we鈥檇 been there about two or three hours,鈥� Carey said. 鈥淭here were hundreds of people there, on the beach and in the water. And as we were packing up our stuff, I heard these screams and saw people running away from the shoreline.鈥�
Carey said there was also 鈥渕assive amounts of blood in the water.鈥�
About 20 to 30 feet from the edge of the water, Carey began running toward the shore, convinced that something horrible had happened.
鈥淭he only thing I could think of, with all that blood, was maybe it was a shark attack,鈥� he said.
Carey was right.
It was one of two separate shark attacks, just 90 minutes and four miles apart, along a stretch of the Gulf shore coastline in Walton County, Florida, near Panama City. The attack took place at the Sandy Shores Court area of Seacrest Beach.
Two girls, 15- and 17-years-old, had been standing in waist-deep water with a group of friends when the shark attacked.
Authorities said they have not yet determined the breed of shark involved in the two attacks or if the same shark is responsible for both incidents.
Carey said as he reached the shoreline, people were pulling the more seriously injured 15-year-old victim out of the water. The Falls firefighter, who is also a certified EMT, said the group of rescuers included 鈥渁 couple of nurses and a couple of doctors and another EMT.鈥�
He said he asked 鈥渟omeone behind me鈥� if they had rope or anything that could be used for a tourniquet. Carey said the young girl had suffered catastrophic injuries to her hand from her pelvis to her knee on one side of her body and was losing a large amount of blood.
鈥淎 lady brought me a strap from a (beverage) cooler and I was able to begin tying it to the wound to stem the bleeding,鈥� Carey said.
As he and the other rescuers continued to apply pressure to the girl鈥檚 wounds, people on the beach rushed forward with other items to try to help stop the bleeding.
鈥淪omeone gave me like a zip cord that you could tie down,鈥� Carey said.
As Carey and others struggled to help the young girl, he said she remained 鈥渃onscious and aware鈥� and spoke with her rescuers. The other attack victim, who was less seriously injured, was also treated by people on the beach.
After what Carey said, 鈥渟eemed like a long time, but was probably only five or 10 minutes鈥�, local firefighters and EMTs arrived and were able to get the victim into an ambulance and take her to a nearby hospital.
The quick response by Carey and the others on the beach is credited with saving the young girl鈥檚 life.
鈥�(Doctors) had to amputate her hand and leg, but she made it. She鈥檚 alive,鈥� Carey said.
The two teenage victims were identified by Florida authorities as tourists from Alabama.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a natural instinct (to run toward a shark attack), but that鈥檚 how we鈥檙e trained,鈥� Falls Fire Captain Jason Cafarella, who commands Carey鈥檚 platoon, said. 鈥淥ur training is the thing, but Josh is a very good firefighter. It takes a special presence to be calm and stay focused during something like that.鈥�
Carey said he鈥檚 learned that as a firefighter 鈥渆ven when your off-duty, you鈥檙e still on-duty.鈥� Falls Fire Chief Gary Pochatko said he wasn鈥檛 surprised that one of his firefighters jumped in to help.
鈥淚t makes you proud,鈥� the fire chief said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 not surprised.鈥�
(c)2024 the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal (Lockport, N.Y.)