College Student 'Blindsided' by Shark Bite While Fishing — One of 2 Florida Attacks in Less Than 36 Hours

Mar. 16, 2025

In an interview from his hospital bed, Blanco toldGood Morning Americathat after getting back on the boat he “took off my weight belt [and] tied it across my leg as a tourniquet.”

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Meanwhile, another individual called 911, according to WPLG. The caller begged the dispatcher to send someone out as fast as possible, saying that the victim was “bleeding really bad” and had “a really big gash” in his thigh."

Kevin was transported via private boat to the Sunset Grille & Raw Bar, and later airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami for treatment, according to the MCSO’s statement.

The Trauma Star helicopter landed on the Seven Mile Bridge in order to complete the rescue, the sheriff’s office added.

“It was a situation that could have turned very very bad,” said Kevin’s father, Omar Blanco, per WPLG.

“The shark was reportedly out of the water and on the dock when it bit the angler,” the sheriff’s office said on Saturday.

The second victim was also flown to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami via Trauma Star following the bite. Additional information about his condition is not known.

source: people.com