A teenage girl who was brutally savaged by a shark while in the sea off Florida has spoken about the terrifying moment the animal tore off her hand and leg, as well as how she miraculously survived.
15-year-old Lulu Gribbins, an Alabama native, was in the Sunshine State on holiday with her family when she was attacked while up to her waist in the shallow waters of Seacrest Beach in South Walton.
Lulu recalled the terrifying moment her friend shouted 'shark!' as they were swimming, in an interview with This Morning on ITV.
"I was in shock and we had no idea what was going to happen next. Well, the shark bit off my left hand and my right leg," the brave teenager shared.
Advert
That day, her sister Ellie was also in the water and had fled to the beach when the call of 'shark' went out.
She added to her sister's testimony, saying: "I turned around and saw a pool of blood and immediately knew something wrong, moments later i realized it was my twin sister."
Authorities believe the animal that tore into Lulu was a bull shark, one of the main shark species in the seas and rivers around Florida. The state is the global capital of shark attacks, recording around 30 per cent of all attacks each year.
"I just remember seeing a big shadow in the water, and that's all I can really remember before we started swimming for our lives," she shared in the TV interview.
Gribbins shared that she had shouted for everyone to remain calm and stop swimming, adding that was what she thought people would do in movies. Tragically, however, this meant she was the furthest swimmer from shore.
What happened next was a blur, as she said: "I remember standing up out of the water and just raising my arm out of the water and seeing that there was no hand there. The shark had bitten it off until there was just flesh and bone.
"I could never feel the shark bite it because I was in so much shock but it was crazy to look down and see that there was no hand there."
Miraculously, despite the shark tearing her leg and hand off, she was able to escape. This was thanks to a good Samaritan who did the bravest thing imaginable upon seeing the girl being attacked.
Known just as 'Steven', the man swam over to Gribbins and punched the shark 'in the eyes'. She shared that she felt 'blessed' for his help.
But despite his heroism, Gribbins had lost two-thirds of her blood by the time she reached the hospital, after being airlifted to North Carolina for emergency treatment.
Doctors were also reportedly surprised that the teenager was still alive due to the severity of her injuries. She was later fitted with a prosthetic hand and leg.
Surprisingly, she said that the 77-day experience of recovering in hospital had left her 'so grateful' for what she had left, adding: "There were so many patients worse off than me. I still had a working hand, a working leg, and even a working brain."
Since the attack, the 15-year-old has participated in several competitive sports, including golf, and now hopes to compete in the Paralympics.
Topics: Florida, This Morning, Alabama
William Morgan